Pujara has been silent warrior: Sachin
Sachin Tendulkar believes Virat Kohli’s team has become the envy of other sides in the world for the kind of cricket they have played throughout the long home season.
“Absolutely (the other teams will be envious of India). When we have the full strength, it is a good problem to have. Whom to leave out?
“That means your bench is really strong. That is how the champion teams are.
“I am sure everyone is watching us the way we have played. I have got a lot of faith and confidence in our team,” said Tendulkar on the sidelines of the launch of his digital app, 100MB.
Tendulkar said the lower order’s contribution with the bat gave the team the edge, especially praising Wriddhiman Saha’s efforts.
LOWER ORDER ROCKED
“There have been challenging moments, and those moments were when I felt our Nos. 7, 8 and 9 contributed big time. Those were critical moments when the Test match could have gone either way. When any team who has that kind of strength where the bowlers can go out and score those crucial runs, the ’keeper can go out and score a 100 for them, you become a solid side…” he said.
Saha has chipped in with vital runs under pressure, scoring a hundred at Ranchi in the third Test against Australia to support Cheteshwar Pujara and bail out India.
While all eyes were on the likes of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, it was Pujara who emerged as the mainstay of the Indian batting, scoring 1316 runs with four hundreds in the 13 Tests.
While pundits have been lavishing praise on the Saurashtra batsman, the one he would like to hear the most came from Tendulkar: “He has been a silent warrior. Terrific temperament, someone who is dedicated, disciplined and focussed. I have seen him from close quarters and I was impressed with what I saw. I knew this guys is there for a long time.”
WHILE ALL EYES WERE ON THE LIKES OF VIRAT KOHLI AND AJINKYA RAHANE, IT WAS PUJARA WHO EMERGED AS THE BATTING MAINSTAYS