India’s Cheteshwar Pujara celebrates after scoring his century during day one of the first Test at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia, in this December 6, 2018, file photo.
Indian batting star Cheteshwar Pujara looks in prime form to score big in the remaining three Tests against Australia, former skipper Michael Clarke warned yesterday.
Pujara produced a busy 123 in the first innings of the Adelaide Test where the right-hander also managed a score of 71 in the second knock as India stunned Australia side by 31 runs yesterday.
The 30-year-old was declared the Man of the Match for his overall tally of 194 runs in the low-scoring Test.
“I think what really impresses me about Pujara is that he plays with low hands. In Australia, with that extra bounce, you think you can get him out with that low-hand grip but he has adjusted his game,” Clarke said in his post-match comments yesterday.
“That’s a player learning from his experience. That will do his confidence a world of good in Perth. It will be a drop-in pitch so we don’t know what we will get but he will be confident of making another hundred no matter what condition he gets (to bat on),” Clarke said.
“He must be saying ‘I can be successful here’. He is such an important part of Indian batting line-up. He bats at number three. That’s what you want after the first Test,” the retired batting star added. Clarke said unlike Pujara Australia’s number three Usman Khawaja failed to impress in the series opener.
“That’s what you look for - somebody in your top four making a 100. That’s what you look for every single Test match but if you look at Khawaja, he also bats in that position, but he is wondering ‘how do I play Ashwin?’,” Clarke said.
“In the first innings, he blocked and he got out and in the second innings, he tried to take him downtown and he (Ashwin) got him (Khawaja) out again,” the 2015 World Cup winner added.
“India were the better team and deserved to win over the last five days,” Clarke said.
“I think Australia showed great fight. Australia were brilliant in the second innings. They wouldn’t want to look at the first innings. To make the runs they made on day five was a good effort. The concern for Australia is their batting in the first innings.
“The (Australian) bowlers knocked out India for 250 but they needed to get (at least) a 100-run lead because they had the best batting conditions on day two. They needed to capitalise with a 100-run lead on the board but they couldn’t,” he added. India coach Ravi Shastri was thrilled with the outcome of the first Test.
“I am very happy. It was a tough Test match. The boys showed discipline, they showed patience. They stuck to their guns,” Shastri said yesterday in his post-match comments on Sony TV.
“There is belief in the camp. We batted poorly in the first innings but there were some rash shots. That wasn’t fearless cricket. That was foolish cricket,” the former India skipper said.
“They have learned from that in the second innings. Pujara was just magnificent. I just heard Michael say he bats with a low-hand grip. That’s one of the things we’ve asked him to do - to be a little upright in his stance,” he added.
With the second Test starting in Perth on Friday, there was good news for India’s frontline pacers.
“Well they (the bowlers) have to rest. To hell with the nets,” Shastri said with a smile.
“You can come there and mark your attendance and go back to the hotel. They need to be fully fit and get ready for the Perth track which will be quick. It is a drop-in surface. There will be very good carry there. There will be something on offer for the fast bowlers,” Shastri said.
“I thought the bowlers were brilliant in the first innings. They knew they had no choice but to defend 250 was great. The discipline was magnificent. I mean that’s something they have worked on. That hasn’t come overnight. When you show that kind of discipline, you can get sides out,” he added.
