India vs Australia: Sunil Gavaskar lauds Cheteshwar Pujara’s valiant effort at Gabba
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India scripted history at the Gabba as they defeated Australia to lift the Border Gavaskar Trophy. And Cheteshwar Pujara yet again proved why he is regarded as the pillar of the Indian middle order. Pujara showcased gut and resilience during his matured knock as he became the glue which held the innings together during the crucial phases. The number 3 batsman copped as many as 11 body-blows as he brought up the slowest fifty of his career, off 196 balls, as he held the fort at the Gabba.
While Rishabh Pant‘s counterattacking knock of 89 and Shubman Gill‘s quickfire 91 saw India over the line. It was Pujara’s grit which made sure Indian stayed in the game throughout the fifth day as held one end strong. Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar asserts that it was Pujara’s knock which allows other batsmen to play with freedom. And allowed India to shift the gear when it did.
During a post-match discussion on the Sony Sports network, Gavaskar said, “Because of his (Pujara) presence at the other end, the young players, who are the stroke-players feel the confidence that there is someone who is holding one end and because of that his innings was extremely important.”
Pujara held the fort together till the second new ball
Barring Pant and Gill, stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane‘s 24 off 22 deliveries and Washington Sundar‘s 22 off 29 balls were also some handy contributions. And Gavsakar, yet again, hails Pujara’s gritty knock for it. The renowned commentator adds that had India lost quick wickets in the middle over, the result could easily have been in the favour of the opposition.
“If the Indian team had lost more than a couple of wickets between lunch and tea, then probably they would have faced more difficulty. He (Pujara) held the fort together till the second new ball which gave confidence to Rishabh Pant and then you see what happened,” he observed.
Pujara was the star performer of the side during their tour during 2018-19 where he scored over 500 runs in the Test series. While he couldn’t replicate his past heroics, he made sure he wore out the Aussie bowlers with his resilience. In a bid to do so, the Saurashtra batsman played over 1000 balls this series and broke his personal record of slowest fifty twice during the Test series. It is his resilience which saw India draw the game at the SCG too.
Also Read | Cheteshwar Pujara: A personification of grit in adversity
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Anshuman Mahapatra
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