After fever, Pujara down with back problem

RAJKOT: Cheteshwar Pujara, who overcame a bout of illness to play a vital knock for

Saurashtra

in the Ranji Trophy final against

Bengal

, is now down with a back issue and only will bat in the second innings if required.


Pujara did not take the field on Day 3 after pulling a back muscle during warm-up as Bengal reached 134/3 in their first innings at close of play, trailing Saurashtra by 291 runs.

"Pujara pulled his back while warm-up. He then went to the hospital for a scan. He will only bat if required," Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah said.

Pujara and Arpit Vasavada had batted together for five hours on day two to lay the foundation for a formidable 425.

On the opening day, Pujara got retired hurt due to fever, days after his return from New Zealand.