Putting best foot forward, making up for time out
Pujara fixing technical glitches has led to assured batting on rank turners in the series
NEW DELHI: He is a nightmare for domestic bowlers, but the manner in which he has chipped away in this series dominated by spinners on dust bowls has set Cheteshwar Pujara apart from the other batsmen. While R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have heaped misery on South Africa to clinch the series against the world No 1 side, other than Murali Vijay, the Indian batsmen have themselves struggled to overcome the challenge of playing on rank turners.
Vijay has become the anchor in all conditions, and the hosts would have struggled if he and Pujara had not helped the hosts put up scores of 200 in three of India’s completed four innings across three Tests. Here, the two numbers that stand out belong to Vijay (aggregate 195) and Pujara (160). And Pujara has also played the longest innings in this series — 220 minutes for his crucial secondinnings 77 in Mohali.
PULLING TOGETHER
His scores 31, 77, 21, 31 may not excite in terms of cold statistics they have been vital in this lowscoring series. The 27-year-old has pulled himself together after the disheartening run in England and Australia which led to his omission. Poor footwork, getting out while well-set and uncertainty outside off-stump all hurt him.
The Saurashtra batsman could muster only 423 runs in eight Tests in that phase, and his comeback looked difficult. The cracks in his technique were exposed in testing conditions, but Pujara stormed back in the final Test in Sri Lanka in August, after he got a chance as opener with Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan injured.
The Pujara who carried the bat with 145 not out on a lively Sinhalese Sports Club pitch was a different player. He played close to his body and never let his bat go beyond his front leg. In England and South Africa, his scoring pattern showed runs through third man and gully, which meant he was chasing balls outside off-stump. This time, his footwork was decisive, making even left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who had troubled the other batsmen, look ordinary.
But Pujara’s footwork against spinners is doing the trick for him. In Mohali, where Shikhar Dhawan got a golden duck, Pujara walked in next and eased the pressure. He and Vijay put on 62 in the first innings and 86 in the second. On dry, cracked pitches, he has tackled Tahir, Harmer and Elgar by stepping out to smother the spin. The majority of his runs against spin (scored in front of square) have come when he stepped out.
But he has been selective in picking the deliveries to skip down the track. He makes his move very late, as the ball is released, making it too late for the bowler to drop it short. On the kind of wickets given for the Tests, staying rooted to the crease will multiply problems as there is no guarantee about the turn or bounce.
His stints with county teams Derbyshire and Yorkshire has helped him against swing and movement, and taught him to get his front foot close to the bat. He also narrowed his stance while leading India ‘A’ under Rahul Dravid as coach, before landing in Sri Lanka. The confidence is back though Pujara knows he needs to score heavily at home and then allay doubts about his technique when India tour abroad.