Cheteshwara Pujara talked about the experience of batting alongside his India captain Virat Kohli, saying he enjoys his partnerships with the modern-day great, as the opposition tends to put all their focus and energies in trying to see the back of him.
Providing a nice blend of fire and ice, Kohli and Pujara have been instrumental to Indian Test cricket in the last decade. While one likes to dominate the opposition bowlers, the other pursues the quest of grinding them down.
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The combination, reminding followers of the days watching Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar bat together, averages 47.44 after 62 Test partnerships, having accumulated 2,894 runs, including seven hundred and 14 fifty-plus stands.
"As soon as he comes he will ask what are they (the opposition) trying to do, how the ball is swinging. If it's a left-arm seamer, what are the angles he is using, whether he's trying to bowl an inswinger or an away swinger. There's a lot of communication," Pujara told Harsha Bhogle on 'Cricbuzz in Conversation'.
He further said, "I enjoy batting with Kohli because he's a positive player. Once he's at the crease, I know that bowlers will try and take his wicket because they feel that they can get him out early."
"But his approach is different, he'll be positive. If he gets a half-volley on the first ball, he'll try and hit it for a four. So the scoreboard is moving, there's not much pressure on my side because the opposition is thinking that they'll have to pick Virat's wicket and he's playing positive."
"Their focus is shifting to Virat and I can be relaxed at the other end. There have been times where because their [opposition's] focus is on Virat, I get some extra loose balls," Pujara added.
Apart from their ability, Pujara reckons it is the communication and advice shared between balls that have helped him and Kohli continue from strength to strength as a duo for India.
"There are times where he would've played a cover drive when the ball is on the fifth or sixth stump, and I'll go and communicate to him that this is too wide. He plays his natural game, no doubt about that but he's ready to listen to that advice. Because if the ball is too wide for a cover drive, he also understands that it is not in his zone so he doesn't need to play that."
"But he will play a cover drive on the ball which is on the off-stump or fourth stump, but if it is on fifth stump, he will listen. He will tell me 'yeah I didn't play that well,'" he concluded.
(Inputs from Cricbuzz)
