Ujara replies o ‘intent’ barbs n his own way
In his 89th Test, and ars since his debut, Chetar Pujara fails to convince world that strike rate in form cricket is overrated. m time to time, his oach to batting comes into tion, but he rarely gives in. appeared on Saturday, in was one of his really brisk s to a Test innings, that he consciously looking to wer calls seeking more nt from him. But was that y the reason behind his ke-filled start? jara said before leaving ngland, “I do have a very game plan for long forand I don’t need to move y from that.” e could play those lines on before every series and won’t change. He is one of est at elite level to compel lers to bowl in his areas. big point of difference with ra and a lot of other modest batsmen is he acquires right by playing the waitame. e was unfazed when his run came off 35 balls in second innings at Lord’s his spot in the side being tioned. He batted like he because the bowling was and the match situation ’t give him the license to risks. He’s been used to ds mocking his slow s, once before in Johannesin 2018 when he took 53 to get off the mark. He got y though as India won.
le sprain
utes after lunch on Saturpujara sprained his ankle. some time after a long k for treatment, his movets seemed restricted. Many ndaries flowed off his bat. by then he had already ored to 21 off 29 balls with boundaries. Either side of h, Pujara was dealing only urs, scoring 30 off the first ns in his partnership with t Sharma. nkle niggle or not, never in ing any of his fours did ra bat differently from his ed method. England were ly poor, letting him off the . Just like they gifted him e leg-side freebies at the of his Leeds innings (91), at The Oval too they pitched it too short.
While his first boundary was a drive through long off, after that all Pujara did was cut and pull. In the 17th ball he faced, Pujara tried to take the leather off a Moeen Ali short ball. Jonny Bairstow got in the act behind the stumps to sledge. The next ball was another long hop and he rocked back to smack him past square leg. Ali’s short balls were a direct outcome of Pujara using his feet even in defence to the offspinner. Again, Pujara’s way to run accumulation coming to the fore.
Frustrating bowlers
With the wicket lacking pace and little swing on offer, Ollie Robinson was too short and Pujara cut him for a four to the left of point. Craig Overton too didn’t stick to the script, once bowling to his legs with the next one short and wide. Pujara obliged with two more boundaries, which got the fast bowler angry and he threatened to throw the ball back.
It’s not often when Pujara and Sharma are at the crease that the India No. 3 is rattling the bowlers. Pujara’s strike rate at the time was 75 and Sharma’s 36. It was one of those days where Pujara batted with authority, but he played the shots that he always does. It was the England bowlers who bowled to his strength early in his innings. Even the upper cut he played off Chris Woakes has been seen before.
“I am very confident that if there is a match situation that demands me to play more shots, I don’t mind trying them,” he had said. England bowlers kept away from bowling in the channel to him and Pujara was there to take advantage.
By the time England corrected, Pujara went back to playing percentage cricket. Normal service resumed as Sharma outscored Pujara by the time they had posted their 100-run partnership. When he finally fell to the second new ball on 61, his scoring rate had dropped to 48. But by then India were 136 runs ahead.
Pujara had served another reminder that scoring rates are dictated by essentially the match situation.