Cheteshwar Pujara was India’s stand-out batter on Day 1 of the opening Test against Bangladesh at Chattogram on Wednesday (December 14).

When the visitors were struggling at 48/3, Pujara added 64 runs for the fourth wicket with Rishabh Pant (46) and followed it up with a 149-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (86).

Just when it seemed that Pujara will notch up his three-figure mark, he perished on 90. His knock was studded with 11 boundaries.

Impressed with his innings, former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer said Pujara soaked all the pressure when wickets went tumbling from one end.

“He has set such a standard - Cheteshwar Pujara. Wickets were falling on the other end and he was soaking all the pressure up, taking his time. Anything loose, he’s scoring runs on it. He will be feeling unlucky that he missed out on a very good hundred. On top of that, Test cricket has not been played regularly,” Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo.

“Coming in straight away and getting into his groove is what Cheteshwar Pujara is all about. He did all the hard yards, took his time early on, and played the spinners very well. When he got the opportunities to score, he never missed those,” he added.

Pujara was cleaned up by left-arm spinner Taijul Islam on a sensational delivery which took a sharp turn away from the batter.

Jaffer weighed in on Pujara’s dismissal, pointing out that India’s No. 3 has struggled a bit against the left-arm spinners lately.

“Getting runs when India needed it most was very very crucial. Lately, he has been deceptive to left-arm spinners because he gives himself a little bit of chance for the ball to spin. Even today, he got out like that, but I thought he played a really fine knock,” he remarked.