Never lost faith in technique: Pujara
NOTTINGHAM: Cheteshwar Pujara said on Monday it wasn’t personal glory that mattered while playing in tough overseas conditions but contributing to the team. The India No 3 scored a crucial 72 and raised a 113-run stand with skipper Virat Kohli (103) to leave the visitors eyeing victory in the third Test.
“When you are playing away from home, it’s not about scoring big hundreds. It is about having enough runs on the board, collectively. Maybe, sometimes the openers (didn’t) score more than 30-40 runs, but they are quite valuable for the team. Personally, I want to score a hundred in any game I play, but you have to be realistic,” he said.
Kohli and Pujara added only 70 runs in the morning session on Day 3 before stepping it up in the end as India set England an improbable 521-run target. India seamers had dismissed the hosts for 161 in the first innings and will fancy a repeat.
“You just have to respect the conditions and the way they bowled,” he said about the slow start. “We had our game plan and stuck to it. Can’t reveal much about what our plan was, but I think we won that session.”
Pujara had faced a frustrating phase and the knock should ease the pressure on him. He was run out twice in Centurion, wasn’t included for the Edgbaston Test, was run out in the first innings at Lord’s and then lost his wicket hooking in the first innings at Trent Bridge.
“I was always confident. Although I didn’t score too many runs in County cricket, I was playing on challenging pitches. I always felt I was batting well, especially in the nets, especially the way I was timing the ball. I was very confident I was up for a big one. The way I batted in this innings, I felt whatever I was working on in the nets, came good. You just need to trust your technique and temperament, and be confident about how you know to play in such conditions,”
he said.