Two batsmen- Cheteshwar Pujara and Hashim Amla- with almost the same ideology to the game have opened the inning for Kings XI Punjab in the last four years and while was dropped and later released the other has become the batting mainstay of the team in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League.
In 2014 edition of the IPL, Pujara began the season as Virender Sehwag’s opening partner but a poor performance with the bat cost him his place. He managed to score only 125 runs at an average of just 25 at a strike rate of 100.80 in the six matches. He was later released by the franchise and is yet to be picked up any franchise.
On the other hand, Amla, who joined the franchise midway during the last season as an injury replacement, has become the most reliable batsman of the team this year. With two fifties and a century, he has amassed 299 runs at a stunning average of almost 60 in the first 7 matches.
Comparing the two batsmen, Kings XI Punjab cricket operations head Virender Sehwag has said that while the experienced Amla reads the game situation well, Pujara needs to redefine his batting to excel in all formats especially the T20.
Heaping lavish praise on Amla, Sehwag said:
“Amla is among the top 5-6 batsmen in world cricket and has played across formats. He knows how to score runs. He has 50 tons in both ODIs and Tests. With his experience, he has an idea of which bowlers to target and how to play in a situation.”
Speaking about Pujara, Sehwag said that the India Test might batsman might have buckled under the pressure of expectations before hoping to see him do well in shortest format in the coming days.
“When Pujara played for us, I think we had more expectations from him but he didn’t deliver. This can happen when you play only one format. It becomes difficult to score runs in other formats. Maybe in the coming years, he will redefine his game and do well in the shortest format,” he said.
Sehwag further credited Amla for Manan Vohra’s batting displays this season.The youngster has scored 176 runs in six matches including a 95-run knock in a losing cause against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“I give credit to Manan Vohra’s form to Amla. I gave him the responsibility to talk to him. He (Vohra) batted and almost won the game for us. Amla is talking to youngsters and sharing his experience and I can see the results. He is a nice person and a great player,” he said.
Sehwag said in the coming seven matches, the team will bank on their overseas players to secure a berth in the knockouts.
“We know we have been falling short but I think our main strength is batting. For me, the key is to have two of the foreign players performing on any given day.
“We had Amla and Maxwell doing well. Even (Shaun) Marsh came in and did well. Putting 170-180 on the board gives the team a target to defend,” he said.