IND vs AUS: Top of the class

Cheteshwar Pujara is like an umbrella for the Indian team He comes out when it rainsmdashwhen the team are in troubleOn a very dicey Holkar Stadium pitch he was needed badly and he did not disappoint If only the other famed Indian batsmen be it Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli had taken a leaf out of his book things could have been different and the home team could have had an outside chance to register a comefrombehind winDespite Pujararsquos determined 59 it will require a miracle for India to win the game on the third day today Pujara reckons there is a chance ldquoThough 75 may not be too many therersquos a chance on this pitchrdquo he said about the state of the gameThe second Test at Delhi was Pujararsquos 100th Test match and many had hoped he would make it memorable for himself Though India won that match by an innings the Rajkotborn batsman could manage only seven runs in his only innings That disappointed him and his family who had come to the Kotla to celebrate the memorable occasion The disappointment was writ large on the face of his father Arvind Pujara a Saurashtra Ranji player and his mentorBut the way Pujara batted resolutely on the second day of the third Test on Thursday on a turning track on which the other Indian batsmen had failed to get going would have impressed not only his father but also the connoisseurs of the game It was oldstyle batting which is becoming extinct in these times of slambang cricket In times when both the fans and media are obsessed with scoring rates Pujara is least bothered about impressing the spectators in the stands or the pundits of the game He likes to score at his own pace and is never rattled by criticism in the media for his dour battingWaking up fansBeing mostly circumspect in between he did wake up the fans in the stands from a slumber when he stepped out and hit Nathan Lyon for a six over longon to prove that if he chooses to he can hit the ball into the stands but willingly sacrifices such an option in the interest of the team The way he was going much more was expected from him but a brilliantly caught by Steve Smith at legslip ended his muchneeded stay in the middle Also readCheteshwar Pujara My dream is to win WTC FinalSpeaking after the dayrsquos play Pujara said ldquoItrsquos a tough pitch to bat on Itrsquos not easy You need to trust your defence make sure you get to the pitch or if itrsquos short play off the back foot You need a judicious mix of attack and defence on this pitch If you keep defending one ball will bounce and hit your glove and thatrsquoll be the end of your inningsFull of focusldquoMy aim was to be a bit more positive try and score as many as possible If there was a longer partnership with Axar Patel it couldrsquove helped Anyhow Irsquom learning a few more tricks If therersquos a demand requirement I feel rather than playing too many dot balls if you can take a few more chances you can get runs Now Irsquom confident whenever itrsquos needed I can play those shotsrdquoIn 101 Test matches Pujara has scored over 7000 runs at an average of 4410 with 19 centuries and 35 halfcenturies ensuring his name among the greats to have donned an India cap in Test cricketIn firstclass cricket he has over 18500 runs at an average of 5150 with 54 centuries and 75 halfcenturies to be among the rare breed of cricketers who have made a name for themselves playing purely redball cricket