Team India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara did not have a great outing at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton while playing in the big World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand as the Kiwis claimed the inaugural title of World Test Champions.
South African pacer Dale Steyn pointed out an aspect of Pujara’s batting that he felt was missing in the WTC final. Steyn recalled bowling to the right-hander back in 2013 when he scored a fantastic 153 against Proteas in South Africa.
“Out of my memory, I just remember Pujara playing great off his legs. Very, very good off his legs, and eyes underneath the ball. But I do remember him playing some magical cut shots and backfoot drives. It's a part of the game that I feel he has lost,” Steyn told ESPNCricinfo.
“That shot today that he played, if he was in a better position, a couple of years maybe, he would have gotten more on the backfoot and punched it through the covers, whereas he just stood there half and half on his front foot,” he added.
The right-arm quick then talked about the difference between Test cricket and first-class cricket and how Pujara is missing out on a lot of scoring opportunities due to this technique.
“That's the thing I have seen lacking in Pujara. I'm so used to him rocking onto his backfoot and playing with his hands and good foot movement. He's kind of lost that part of his game. And if you're only hanging on the front foot, good bowlers will not bowl half-volleys to you.”
“And you've got to turn good balls into good shots. That's the difference between Test cricket and First-Class cricket. He's missing out on a lot of runs there," the 37-year-old said.
(With ESPNCricinfo inputs)
