Ever since the retirement of Rahul Dravid the Indian team has find its new Mr. dependable in Cheteshwar Pujara. His ability to bat through the innings make him an important prospect for any team. Pujara has been instrumental in India’s home season last year but has faced immense criticism for not being consistent at away tours.
The Saurashtra batsman’s approach of playing slow and building it for a long innings has been successful in India because the pitch tends to slow down with every passing session but when he does the same at the away tours, things doesn’t work in his favour, especially in South Africa, England and Australia tour.
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The pitch and conditions at these parts of the world favour the bowlers and the uneven bounce makes it a graveyard for any batsman. Pujara who takes time to get his eyes in is successful in the Indian subcontinent but the problem persists at the away tours when one surprising bouncer or a sharp out-swinger is all it takes to send him packing. His approach of going too defensive costs him his wicket and he fails to deliver it for India at the away tours.
Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar also criticized Pujara for his slow approach. Recently Pujara took more than 70 balls to get off the mark for Yorkshire. “It’s far too much. Again, I’m not trying to be critical here. It’s good to be cautious, good to respect the conditions, but…,” he trails off when asked.
“Use your own discretion, follow your own judgment. When I used to be in the dressing room, waiting for my turn to walk out to bat, I never went by what was happening to the batsmen on the field,” he says.
The 1st test starts from 1st August at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
