SYDNEY: There is a certain sameness about
Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting that doesn’t always appeal to your senses but rates very high on the utility scale. It was the same in Adelaide. Melbourne, too, had witnessed something similar last week. On Thursday, there was another exhibition at the
Sydney Cricket Ground
(SCG).
Pujara’s unbeaten 130, made over six hours, not only gave India’s first innings a solid foundation but also frustrated the Australian bowling attack which toiled hard. It was unadorned but certainly not unsurprising because it spurred
Mayank Agarwal and later Hanuma Vihari to rise to the occasion.
Pujara, who had once described his batting as meditation, has an unflappable temperament that allows him to shut out the world around him while he is at the crease. It is, therefore, little wonder that he puts such a high price on his wicket.
Pujara’s tally in the series now stands at 458 runs, and he is not done yet. Australians, who went into the series fearing
Virat Kohli’s broad blade, had not reckoned that the mild-mannered Pujara from Rajkot, will be a thorn in their flesh right through the series.
It has been a remarkable six months for India’s No. 3, who was inexplicably dropped for the first Test in Birmingham by the team management. India lost that match and the team was criticised severely. He has since struck a purple patch and made four centuries in eight overseas Tests.
Asked about Pujara’s transformation, Kohli said: “He has been a lot more flexible in altering his game very quickly. From the last time he played in Australia, he has made a few changes to his setup, and that’s working for him. He is embracing the fact that if something has been told to him and he has to work on those things, he has worked on it.”
Kohli also explained Pujara’s new role in the team. “Now that we have the bowling attack that we can rely on to get us 20 wickets, his role becomes even more crucial. His job is to hold one end up and bat for long hours so that we have a great opportunity to get big runs and put them out of the game. I think he is embracing that (role) very well.”
Pujara has not only scored more than twice as many runs than any Australian batsman in the series, he has also single-handedly occupied the crease for almost 190 overs so far. For the record, Australia’s two innings in the Boxing Day Test lasted 156.2 overs. No Australian batsman has reached three figures yet, but Pujara has reached the landmark thrice and Kohli once.
Pujara has also faced a staggering 1135 balls in the ongoing series, including 250 in making a polished unbeaten 130 at SCG on Thursday.
Australia may have succeeded in reining in Kohli to an extent, but Pujara is the reason why India are up 2-1 in the series and are in a good position to force a 3-1 verdict.