Cheteshwar Pujara loves to bat. Nothing in the world fascinates him more than going out there and blocking every single time the cherry makes its way towards him. That is the level of stoicity on which Pujara operates. A batsman of the classical mould, or yet better than the classical batsmen of the yore. Pujara […]
Cheteshwar Pujara loves to bat. Nothing in the world fascinates him more than going out there and blocking every single time the cherry makes its way towards him. That is the level of stoicity on which Pujara operates. A batsman of the classical mould, or yet better than the classical batsmen of the yore. Pujara is a threat you could never have enough of.
Australia learnt that the hard way when India landed on their shore a couple of summers ago, with Pujara becoming the major difference. There was a certain Kohli that time, an experienced Rahane, X-factor Pant, and a fantastic pace-bowling line-up at their disposal. Yet it was the man from Saurashtra who blunted his way to land the Indian team their first-ever Test series victory against the Aussies. It was monumental in more ways than one.
Also Read: Jermaine Blackwood: A Brave Spark That Can Reignite The West Indies
If Australia would have thought the batting tragic from Rajkot would give them some breathing space, he nipped that in the bud in his very first outing in the tour, scoring an affluent 54 off 110 deliveries against Australia A at the Drummoyne Oval in Sydney in an otherwise disappointing day for the visitors. Pujara, exposed to batting just after the dismissal of Shubman Gill on the first delivery of the second over, blunted the new ball and guarded for a solid show thus after. His innings was a contrast of what Josh Hazlehood had described of Pujara much ahead of the tour began.
“When we got [Pujara] at Perth he didn’t hurt us on a bit quicker, bouncier track, so his game’s obviously set up, he’s played the majority of his cricket in India on slower, lower wickets, and he’s hard work on those tracks to find a chink in the armour. The more pace and bounce we can get at a few of the grounds will be helpful, but I think it’s a patience game with him and it’s just about outlasting him and knowing he’s going to face a lot of balls, and not going away from our plan we’ve talked about. Keeping to that as best we can.”
Australia had set up their plan perfectly but as James Pattinson and Jackson Bird decided to trouble him with a set of short balls, Pujara was stoic at his end. He fended them alone and only decided to take on the balls outside off-stump for a drive on the off-side. When he got into his flick mode, Michael Neser and Cameron Green provided him freebies. Irrespective of the ploy, Pujara handed the stuff in the only way he knew, caressing the Aussies to death.
The dismissal, with a leg-slip in place, was more a fantastic tactical ploy but from the 110-ball stay in the middle, Pujara gave enough indication of how to go through the Aussie summer. 54 runs is a nice start but Australia would be in for a long tour if Pujara carries on the niche he showed today. The absence of Virat Kohli – the blockbuster superstar – wouldn’t matter a lot in that case.
