CHENNAI: Watching Cheteshwar Pujara go about his process every ball is a soothing experience. Check the handle for a perfect V-grip. Get back in shape again. Look down to place the bat in the perfect position between the feet. Look at the bowler. Tap. Tap. Have a small backlift. Press forward and go on the front-foot defence to meet the ball under the eye and close to the body (or any other shot he plays). Check the grip, again. Shadow practice. Adjust the helmet. Rinse. Repeat.
At some level, there is a sense of tranquillity. When he is in the middle, India seem like they are in control. For him, the opponent, bowler and conditions are all secondary. The first and, perhaps the most important thing for him, is that one particular delivery he is about to face and how best to react to it. And they start fresh all over again. It is not as easy as it sounds. Which is why, despite not scoring a Test century since January 2019, no Indian batter has faced more deliveries than Pujara. 3904 times in 51 innings to be precise.
On Wednesday, he did the same for 203 deliveries, accumulating 90 runs to put India in a position of control as they finished on 278/6 on Day one of the first Test against Bangladesh. From 48/3, he built partnerships, first with Rishabh Pant (46) and then with Shreyas Iyer (82 batting), to take the visitors to 261/5 before he fell to a sharp turner from Taijul Islam.
Much like every other innings of his, it did not come without struggle. He was scratchy early on, was dropped immediately after lunch the other batters had their share of luck as well but he did what he does best. He dug in before pouncing on any bad delivery that came his way. If one has to point out the key difference, it is the way he plays spin in comparison with his teammates.
After the golden generation retired (read 2012-13), no one has countered spin in the current team as well as Pujara has. If one has to look at numbers, since 2012, no Indian, except MS Dhoni (76), averages better than him (68.17) against spin (minimum 20 innings). And the key to it is that he does not do anything that is unnatural of him. He doesn’t sweep or paddle. He waits until the bowler errs in line and length and cuts them off the square or rocks back and pulls them. Sometimes, he jumps out of the crease to flick the ball through mid-wicket from under the eye or drives down the ground. There is nothing fancy about any of it. But it is this method that has made him successful against spin.
All his seven boundaries against spin came in the aforementioned fashion. Which is why it often takes a peach of a delivery for him to get out. Like the one that got him late in the evening from Taijul with the second new ball pitched in middle and off, turned away to beat the outside edge and hit the off-stump. And it happened when he was on the brink of scoring his first century since January 2019.
While the wait for the milestone continues, Pujara is not worried about it. “I am really happy today and not bothered about not getting a three-figure mark. I have been batting well and if I carry on like this, it will come soon," he said after the day’s play. It is likely that the team management aren’t worried either.
For it is not just about the runs Pujara scores. It is also about the control he provides in the crease, allowing the batters around him to flourish —ask Rishabh, Shreyas or Shubman Gill —and in turn helping the team move ahead in the game. Century or not, he has done it almost every time when the chips were down in the last three years. Wednesday was no different.