India cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar compared Cheteshwar Pujara with former South Africa batter Hashim Amla while praising his batting. He said when Amla batted it felt like everything is under control even on tough batting pitches, and Pujara gives him the same feeling.
Pujara has been out of touch for a while but he scored a quick half-century in the second Test match against South Africa, showing the signs of a return in form. He and Ajinkya Rahane had posted a partnership of 111 runs in the second innings of the Johannesburg Test, which India lost by 7 wickets.
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Gavaskar, in a conversation with SuperSport, spoke on Pujara's batting and the calmness he brings with his presence in the middle. The India batter bats with a lot of patience and he gives himself time to settle.
"When I look at him, he reminds me of Hashim. Watching Hashim bat, you know there’s a sense of calm that everything is under control," Gavaskar said.
"The ball could be doing things but there was that sense because even on pitches where the ball was turning, the way Hashim was batting in India, it was almost as if, ‘look, nothing’s happening’, and that’s the same thing with Cheteshwar Pujara," he added.
The ex-cricketer said it's a blessing to have someone like Pujara in the team who has a good temperament. He added that these types of players can help the team make important decisions with no panic.
"It is a great, great blessing to have players of this temperament in your dressing room. (It may not be) necessarily just on the field but it’s a huge plus and I think having somebody with Cheteshwar Pujara’s temperament in the changing room must be absolutely terrific because in international cricket, there are several moments of tension where people would want to do this or that or the other.
"When you have somebody who’s going to think about it calmly and give you a measured opinion it makes a big difference," he said.
(With SuperSport Inputs)
