Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has slammed critics of Cheteshwar Pujara by saying people should appreciate what he has done for the country rather than scrutinize each Test innings ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand.
Pujara has been often faced criticism for not showing enough intent to keep the scoreboard ticking, but Master Blaster said this perspective is faulty since Test cricket isn’t T20 cricket and feels the veteran batsman’s style has been vital in Team India’s success over the years in Tests.
He also mentioned that the critics who haven’t achieved anything close to what Pujara has for India should just take it a bit easy ahead of the WTC 2021 Final between the Indian cricket team and New Zealand, starting on June 18 in Southampton.
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Tendulkar said in an interview with PTI, “I think we should appreciate what Cheteshwar Pujara has been able to achieve for India. It’s not always going about and maintaining a strike-rate and in Test cricket, you need different kinds of planning and different kind of players to fit into your team.”
He further added, “It’s like five fingers in your hands. Each finger has a different role and Pujara is an integral part of our team. I really like what Pujara has done for India. Rather than scrutinizing each innings, we should be appreciative of what he has done for India. Guys who are digging deep into his technique and rotation, I don’t think those guys have played as much top-level cricket as Pujara.”
The legendary right-hander feels people’s perspective regarding batting has changed these days because of the T20 cricket, where only one skill — hitting the ball out of the park — is appreciated.
He further opined, “They possibly don’t understand. In today’s age of T20, probably if someone can hit the ball, he is regarded as a good player. (It is) not necessary that a person has to be a good Test player. In Test cricket, you need much more than just hitting the ball and trying to play big shots.”
On those who are concerned about strike rates in Tests, Tendulkar noted: “For strike-rate, we have players like Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. They can always increase the strike rate. But when it comes to tire the opposition and where you require planning and vision to execute whatever your strategies are, for that you need a Cheteshwar.”
Meanwhile, the legendary batsman also shared his views on the Indian team combination for the WTC Final against New Zealand, saying India should play both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja even if there isn’t much help off the surface at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton.
He added, “The possibility, according to me, is to play three fast bowlers and two spinners because both (Ashwin and Jadeja) can bat. Eventually how the team management feels after looking at the wicket matters.”
And if the fourth and fifth-day wicket doesn’t offer much help for spinners, Tendulkar replied: “Shane Warne used to get a number of wickets with the flipper which is a straight ball for leg-spinners and doesn’t require help from surface. Similarly, Muttiah Muralitharan got a lot of wickets with his top spinners which didn’t turn.”
He further explained, “So it’s not always that an off-spinner has to turn the ball and get the batter out at short leg. If an off-spinner can bowl a straighter one, the edge would go to the slips or be a caught behind.
The same thing with left-arm spinners, it doesn’t have to be pitching on leg-middle and turning away from the right-hander. It could be an arm ball that can get you a leg before or bowled. When the ball doesn’t turn, that also requires skills to play.”
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The batting maestro wants both Ashwin and Jadeja to use the cooler and windy conditions to their advantage in Southampton against the Kiwis.
He added, “In England, spinners can do a lot in the air also. They can get a lot more drift due to the windy conditions and can also use the shine of the ball. If the shine is maintained well, the ball can drift both ways. It all depends on how you hold the ball and how you grip the ball. The drift is always more in England. In India, you get help off the surface but in England, you will get help in the air also.”
Tendulkar has also a piece of advice for Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who are set to open the batting for Team India in the WTC 2021 Final against New Zealand in Southampton.
He suggested, “Playing close to the body starts with keeping your hands close to the body. When you take a back-lift your hands need to be as close to your body as possible. When your hands are close to your body, you are in better control of defending the ball and playing as late as possible. But when hands start going away, there is less control on your bat swing, and balance is affected.”
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While New Zealand will “hold an edge” compared to India’s “simulated practice games” coming into the WTC final with two Test matches against England but Tendulkar feels the bowling attacks of both teams being on even keel will make it a great contest in Southampton.
He signed off by saying, “See all four are different bowlers. Tim Southee takes it away from right-handers, Trent boult brings the ball back into the right-handers, Kyle Jamieson hits the deck at good length and Neil Wagner keeps it short of length with odd pitch-up delivery. There is a decent variety in their bowling attack.”
(With PTI Inputs)
