Sanjay Jagdale, former BCCI secretary and selector has hit out at critics busy blaming Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for his slow batting approach in 1st Test against Australia.
Sanjay Jagdale claimed that no one can accuse Cheteshwar Pujara of batting slowly, especially after the same technique had already won India Test matches in the past.
Sanjay Jagdale: One Cannot Accuse Cheteshwar Pujara For Not Winning Matches For India
Cheteshwar Pujara has come under severe criticism for his form in recent days. The No.3 batsman was accused of being too slow in the 1st innings of the India Tests, where he scored 43 runs consuming as many as 160 balls. He then got dismissed without scoring in the second innings, which proved to be the start of the Indian cricket team’s disastrous batting collapse on Day 3 as they registered lowest Test score of 36.
“That is how he plays. We won the series with Pujara scoring 3 hundreds. So, we can’t accuse him of playing slowly because that is his way of batting. You cannot accuse him of not winning matches for India, because he has done that in the past. Both in Australia and on subcontinent wickets,” said Sanjay Jagdale.
Speaking to Indranil Basu on SK Live, Sanjay Jagdale was asked about the conversation around Cheteshwar Pujara’s low strike rate while batting in Tests. He has been a staunch supporter of Cheteshwar Pujara’s place in the longest format of the game in the past and present. He pointed to his stellar record the last time India toured Australia in 2018-19 where India won 2-1 which was their maiden Test series win in Australia.
“How can we forget him for winning the two Test matches for us in the previous tour? He got 3 Tests hundreds, and he batted (last time) as he is batting now,” Jagdale said.
Cheteshwar Pujara famously finished as the Man of the Series during the 2018-19 series, amassing 521 runs averaging a staggering 74.42. In addition to scoring 3 Test hundreds in that series, the top-order batsman ended up facing more than 1,200 balls. Many experts then praised Cheteshwar Pujara for spending and enduring long hours at the crease and tiring the Australian bowlers out.
Sanjay Jagdale: There’s Always Space For Cheteshwar Pujara In Tests
Reiterating the same qualities, Sanjay Jagdale compared Cheteshwar Pujara to The Wall Rahul Dravid.
The former selector claimed that quality top-notch Test teams need batsmen like Cheteshwar Pujara who can bat for substantially long hours, as the time they spend at the crease can end up saving a match or even winning Test.
“You need a batsman like Pujara especially if the Test match is over in 3 days. If he could have batted for 2 days, we could have saved the Test match. There’s always space for a batsman like him in Test cricket,” he argued.
Concluding the discussion, Sanjay Jagdale explained that Cheteshwar Pujara cannot change his batting style at this stage of his career. The former BCCI Secretary was of the view that the batsman can’t suddenly become an attacking batsman overnight from nowhere as he can’t change his slow approach.
Although Cheteshwar Pujara has come under considerable pressure after the conclusion of 1st Test, it was primarily because he failed to increase momentum in the 1st innings after getting settled at the crease.