By: Sandipan Bose
Players are often typecast and their all round talent is undermined, like Cheteshwar Pujara. Critics argued that he takes time to get into the grooves and doesn’t pose the mastery of all strokes required in the shorter versions.
But that’s not the real calibre of Pujara. Unluckily, this general consensus on him took a toll on his IPL prospects as well, as this Saurashtra cricketer could not bag a single contract in the prestigious league.
This, however, didn’t have a negative effect on him. He kept playing matches including county cricket. This was perhaps also a quick-fix to his problem against moving deliveries, especially, the incoming ones.
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Competition was rife. Pujara was down with the long drawn battle for survival at the highest level. His struggle to make his detractors understand that he is destined for bigger strokes continued for quite sometime.
By the time they drew a conclusion, Pujara had already cemented his place in the Test team. There has been no looking back since then. Now that he is one of the best in the business, Pujara is on a roll!
How time changes, this was the same Pujara, who had to bear the brunt of criticism even from his teammates for playing slow cricket and taking all the time in the world to hit the ground runnings.
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But now, he is the most sought after No. 3 batsman in world’s best Test series. It’s a renewed Pujara! There is no fear in his mind even when he is shifting the gear to score quickly.
Sunday was one such occasion when Pujara had to play aggressive cricket. In the end, he hit the nail with immaculate perfection so much so that even Rahul Dravid would surely pat his back.
The fact that offence is an extension of defence was at display in Hyderabad on Day 4 of the one-off Test against Bangladesh. After scoring a half-century in the first innings, he came up with another one in the second.
Pujara enabled India to put pressure on Bangladesh. Kudos to this version of Pujara for sure. He is more strong mentally and credit goes to his country cricket days that has garnered him the adequate practice and experience.
Well done, Pujara! Classic example of slow and steady wins the race! More power to this newfound hero!
