There was a lot of talk about India batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane not scoring consistently in the middle-order. But thanks to their fantastic 100-run partnership at Lord’s which brought Indians back in the second Test against England, the duo proved their critics wrong.
Even though Pujara gets the runs and successfully occupies one end, he is often criticized for his lower strike rates. The former West Indies batsman Brian Lara in the latest episode of the Star Sports show 'Follow The Blues', addressed this issue and suggested some remedies.
“Pujara, definitely for me, I mean as a batsman, I am not the same as a player, that ability to be so patient and score at such a low strike rate. So, for me, if I was a coach or if I was someone that wanted Pujara to improve, I would try to create a lot more shots and try to score a strike rate that is more beneficial to him and the team,” Lara said.
“He does the job, and I know the job he does, but I just feel that when you bat that slowly, there are a lot of momentum swings in your innings and you allow the bowlers so many deliveries at yourself, even before you get to three figures that you are going to find yourself coming up short a lot of times,” he added.
As far as Pujara is concerned, he will be looking to convert the good starts he is getting into big scores as it has been 30 months and 34 innings since his last century in the longest format.
After the first Test match between India and England at Nottingham ended in a draw, the tourists went 1-0 up by registering a historic win in the second Test at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s.
Thus, it will be exciting to see how both teams go about in the third Test scheduled to be played at Headingley in Leeds from 25 August.
(With ANI Inputs)
