India batter Cheteshwar Pujara’s poor run of form continued with the bat in the first innings of the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg on Monday, January 3, 2022. India won the toss and decided to bat first.
KL Rahul is captaining the Indian team for the first time in Tests as Virat Kohli pulled out of the match due to an upper back spasm. Jasprit Bumrah was named the vice-captain of the team for this Test and Hanuma Vihari replaced Kohli in the playing XI.
Though Rahul and Mayank Agarwal gave India a decent start, India faltered to 53/3 at lunch thanks to a returning Duanne Olivier who removed Cheteshwar Pujara for 3 off 33 balls and on the next ball, dismissed Ajinkya Rahane for a golden duck.
Bemused with Pujara and Rahane's approach on the Wanderers' surface, former India opener Aakash Chopra pointed out that the duo lunged too forward and failed to evaluate the bounce & pace.
"Pujara has got a lot of patience and ability to defend as well. But two things are plaguing him. First is his intent to score runs. He is not even hitting the half volley with full might and we can an uncanny pattern in his dismissals. He had nicked Ngidi's delivery in the first innings of the Centurion Test. If we look at his hands and the height of the delivery, why is he even trying to play off the front foot instead of using the depth of the crease," said Chopra on Star Sports during the lunch break.
"If you are always lunging forward with low hands, bowlers are going to enjoy bowling against you on South African pitches. Extra bounce, low hands, lunging forward… that's a recipe for disaster," he added.
Pujara was out for a golden duck in the second innings of the first Test in Centurion and has now gone 45 innings without a Test century.
Former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel also spoke about the short ball ploy and insisted Pujara on having the "intent to score".
He said: "He needs to find a way to get off the strike in South Africa and have that intent to score. There is no better feeling bowler when you run in and know that the batter is not trying to take you on."
Chopra also spoke about Rahane's dismissal and pointed out how the extra bounce troubled the former India Test vice-captain as well.
He said: "If you are going to lunge forward to a ball that's so short and then offer nothing, he only had two options left. He either could have poked it or left it alone. With that front foot shot, there was no way he was getting any runs against delivery of that length. Same theory again... front foot lunging against short deliveries is not going to work on these pitches."
