HYDERABAD : Taskin Ahmed bowled a short pitch delivery to Cheteshwar Pujara, and the latter hooked the bowler for a six over long leg, prompting a fist-pump from Virat Kohli. The middle-order mainstay looked in a different touch altogether as he maintained of strike-rate of almost 100. The intention of the Indian batsmen was clear -- to score as quickly as possible -- but it was Pujara who capitalised most on that strategy.
When Express asked him the reason behind the sudden aggression, the 29-year-old replied with a smile. “Well, it was the requirement of the team to gather as many runs as possible. It has been a long standing perception that I can only play a certain style of cricket.
But, if my domestic performances are observed it is understandable that I play a wide range of shots. The idea for us was to score at least 150 runs before we declared ,” Pujara said.
The number three batsman displayed a wide array of shots, ranging from late cuts to square cuts to dent the spirits of the opposition, scoring 54. Hyderabad has been a good hunting ground for the batsman as he has a scored proficiently here.
The double century against the Aussies contributed to an innings victory back in 2013 and just three nights ago he scored a valiant 83 after India had lost opener KL Rahul in the very first over of the match.
The Saurashtra batsman is positive about the prospects on day five. “The wicket has started to turn now. There will definitely be good assistance for spinners on Monday as the cracks have also started to widen,” Pujara exclaimed.
vishal@newindianexpress.com