India spinner R Ashwin has lauded batter Cheteshwar Pujara as the batter is set to play his 100th Test for India when the Rohit Sharma-led side will clash with Australia in the second Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 series in Delhi on February 17.
Cheteshwar Pujara made his India Test debut in 2010 against Australia in Bengaluru and scored a match-winning 72 runs in a chase of the 207-run target. Since then in 99 Tests, he has 7021 runs at an average of 44.15 with 19 centuries and 34 fifties to his name and his best score is 206*.
He had been dropped from the Indian side after a prolonged period of poor form in 2022, but went to English county cricket and scored many runs to make his comeback into the team on the back of it.
Writing in a column for ESPNCricinfo, Ashwin called Pujara one of the greatest at playing percentages against spin bowling, adding that his game is an extension of his stubborn personality.
“Puji is one of the greatest at playing percentages against spin. During all these years of knowing him, I have learnt that his game is just an extension of his personality. And his personality is stubborn. You just can't win an argument with him. He never concedes a point,” wrote Ashwin.
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“Pat Cummins bowls good ball after good ball, changing the angles, trying a bouncer, trying a sucker ball, but all he gets from Puji is the leave or the dead defence. Actually I don't recall thinking Puji had a great defence when I first saw him, but his stubbornness is such that he has broken down the best of the attacks with his defence,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin called Pujara ‘Mirugam’ (animal) and said that as a beast focuses single-mindedly on its prey, Pujara focuses on batting.
“Most batters add to their game when they are successful or cut out some elements when they are failing, but Puji keeps trusting his method. You can't convince him to change. I used to use a Tamil nickname for him with Shankar Basu, our previous trainer: Mirugam, the beast. Just like a beast focuses single-mindedly on its prey, Puji focuses on batting,” said Ashwin.
Pujara will aim to score big in his 100th Test as he had a disappointing outing in the first Test in Nagpur.
(India Today inputs)
