Cheteshwar Pujara might have scored some quick runs in the second innings of the third Test against England in Leeds, but India spinner Harbhajan Singh isn’t sure that the veteran Indian batsman would be able to consistently score runs at a brisk pace with his revamped approach, as it is not his natural game.
Pujara is one of the most dependable batsmen in Test cricket for India in recent years and is known for his immense patience on the crease and ability to grind opposition bowlers before scoring runs.
Well, the right-hander has been criticized for taking too much time to get runs, but in Leeds, he surprised many with the way he scored 91 runs at a good pace, started hitting the ball from the start against England.
However, ahead of the fourth Test against England, Harbhajan seemed not much pleased with Pujara’s newfound approach, as he felt it was taken under pressure due to the demand of scoring runs at a quicker rate and doesn’t think he will consistently score the runs with his new approach for Team India.
Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel, “I never saw this side of Pujara before. It seemed like he was playing those shots under pressure. Even heard that he was told to score at a quicker rate, that he is taking too much time to get runs. He has achieved success because of his style of play because he makes the ball older, but in England even though the ball is old, it continues to swing.”
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He added, “It's different in Australia, there the old ball does not do anything. He was able to score enough runs with the new approach, but I don't think he will be able to score like this consistently.”
The spinner said the failure of India’s middle-order is a big disappointment for the tourists in England.
He signed off by explaining, “The average of the Indian middle-order which is even less than 30 now is a worrying sign. These are good enough conditions to score runs, but even here runs are not coming. It may be because of lack if practice, were the practice games enough? Because the team had a lot of time. If India need to olay good cricket as a team, the average must be around 40s and 50s.”
