Cheteshwar Pujara Discussion Thread

He is embellishing his record, which is great for him but really he seems only focused on that. It is very difficult to justify a 300 balls century when India eventually had to declare in first inning.

Kohli made 82 off 204.It was that sort of pitch
 
40/4 in first test and Indians were totally out, then he scored a ton to win the test. Fantastic batting with tail.

Another ton in 3rd test where he batted for a long time and another win for India in Aus.

If he gets a ton in the last test then Aus is losing this series.
 
Dude scores two centuries in the series and guess what, India has won on both the occasions.

He certainly has come good this time around. The only worrying thing about his batting would be, changing the gears at the right time and scoring daddy hundreds overseas. He is too SLOW for that to happen.
 
Dude scores two centuries in the series and guess what, India has won on both the occasions.

He certainly has come good this time around. The only worrying thing about his batting would be, changing the gears at the right time and scoring daddy hundreds overseas. He is too SLOW for that to happen.

He has shortcomings, but India was stupid to drop him earlier.
 
Whenever He score runs India wins and not just any wins those are Big wins.That's why Southampton 4th Test Loss in England was hard to swallow as that match had India win written all over it.India were in position of trailing by 30-40 runs but ends up with 28 runs lead all thanks to Pujara who knows how to get the team over line.Although the lead of 28 runs was small but momentum was with India.
 
He is clearing his backlogs like a failed student in main exams.
And doing it doubly fast, that is good.

I think he could have 2-3 more good overseas tours before putting him on the pedestal of Indian greats.
This is what I expected from him 2 years back, better late than never.
He should succeed for the single reason he plays only one format and in the domestic tournaments and some county cricket too.
 
It’s a fact. When Pujara scores he puts India well and truly on top!
 
Cheteshwar Pujara - the only batsman to score 50+ in all of India's four away wins in 2018:

50 off 179, 1st innings, Johannesburg
72 off 208, 2nd innings, Trent Bridge
123 & 71, Adelaide
106 off 319, MCG
 
Brilliant batting in this series by him. I thought his dead batting might have cost India but the rest of the batsmen have played with intent so he can afford to play with a lower strike rate.

He has proven me a wrong. Couldn't happen for a nicer guy. I would like to see him open as I feel that would be perfect role for him but as long as the other batters play with 50 plus strike rates his slower approach can be tolerated at 3.
 
Should join the 20+ test hundreds pretty soon. I’m so happy all the investment on Pujara is paying off finally as he becomes a complete member of this test side home and away both.

He has the potential to join 30+ test time players list and good thing is King Kohli inspiring he way as he sets his target on 52 test tons Pujara must follow him close.
 
Brilliant batting in this series by him. I thought his dead batting might have cost India but the rest of the batsmen have played with intent so he can afford to play with a lower strike rate.

He has proven me a wrong. Couldn't happen for a nicer guy. I would like to see him open as I feel that would be perfect role for him but as long as the other batters play with 50 plus strike rates his slower approach can be tolerated at 3.

Speed of scoring doesn’t really matter when tests are finishing easily within 5 days.

I can only think of one occasion where Pujara’s slow batting may have contributed to a draw (West Indies 2016 2nd test) and even on that occasion if he had batted faster, West Indies still would have probably not won.
 
3 test centuries on tour of Australia!

What a turnaround for Pujara!

Was almost on the verge of being dropped before he hit that century in England and resurrected himself.
 
Most test hundreds among active players :-

Amla - 28
Kohli - 25
Smith - 23
Warner - 21
Williamson -19
Pujara - 18
Taylor - 17
Gayle, Ali, Root - 15
 
Most test hundreds among active players :-

Amla - 28
Kohli - 25
Smith - 23
Warner - 21
Williamson -19
Pujara - 18
Taylor - 17
Gayle, Ali, Root - 15

Not a single Pakistani in the list.

Even when, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq are Test match regulars since time immemorial.
 
If India wins this one, it will be another match winning away ton for Pujara. Whatta playa!
 
Cheteshwar Pujara - the only batsman to score 50+ in all of India's four away wins in 2018:

50 off 179, 1st innings, Johannesburg
72 off 208, 2nd innings, Trent Bridge
123 & 71, Adelaide
106 off 319, MCG

I remember this innings. At one point, he was 0* (50). And the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Unreal!
 
[table=width: 500, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Player [/td][td]Match [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Ave [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pujara [/td][td]68 [/td][td]5363 [/td][td]51.07 [/td][td]46.39 [/td][td]18 [/td][td]20 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Younis [/td][td]118 [/td][td]10099 [/td][td]52.05 [/td][td]52.12 [/td][td]34 [/td][td]33 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pujara [/td][td]Match [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Ave [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]7 [/td][td]659 [/td][td]54.91 [/td][td]41.03 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]9 [/td][td]500 [/td][td]29.41 [/td][td]40.45 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]36 [/td][td]3217 [/td][td]61.86 [/td][td]50.3 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]14 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]2 [/td][td]60 [/td][td]15 [/td][td]32.78 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]7 [/td][td]411 [/td][td]31.61 [/td][td]38.88 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]4 [/td][td]454 [/td][td]90.8 [/td][td]53.03 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]3 [/td][td]62 [/td][td]31 [/td][td]27.43 [/td][td]0 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Younis [/td][td]Match [/td][td]Runs [/td][td]Ave [/td][td]SR [/td][td]100 [/td][td]50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]6 [/td][td]557 [/td][td]50.63 [/td][td]49.64 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]6 [/td][td]604 [/td][td]100.66 [/td][td]62.59 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]9 [/td][td]810 [/td][td]50.62 [/td][td]55.06 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]6 [/td][td]768 [/td][td]76.8 [/td][td]56.55 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]7 [/td][td]473 [/td][td]43 [/td][td]57.96 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Pakistan [/td][td]19 [/td][td]1898 [/td][td]59.31 [/td][td]55.17 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]8 [/td][td]489 [/td][td]32.6 [/td][td]44.57 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]17 [/td][td]1172 [/td][td]45.07 [/td][td]50.25 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]27 [/td][td]2484 [/td][td]55.2 [/td][td]51.69 [/td][td]11 [/td][td]7 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]8 [/td][td]333 [/td][td]22.2 [/td][td]45.3 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]5 [/td][td]511 [/td][td]73 [/td][td]41.41 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[/table]
 
There was a Gill and who can forget Pant?

But my man of the day is the much maligned ChePu. The way he took blows (I counted atleast a dozen) and still kept going for his team.

Thank you brother....hope you are doing well and all the very best for the forthcoming battles. Hope you get a truck load of runs vs England.
 
He is the most resillient test batsman I have ever seen. On par with Dravid in terms of courage, bravery and resilience.

Got criticized for slow batting but he kept batting like that for over 150 balls, kept doing the hard work, kept playing for the cause of the team and the result is there to be seen.
 
Put his body on the line. All test sides need a Pujara in their line up

You would expect a no:3 batsman who plays at a strike rate of 25 to be not stuck 10 times on body on a very playable pitch where others scored at a much higher strike rate. Pujara kills the entire momentum and takes zero responsibility to win the match.
 
You would expect a no:3 batsman who plays at a strike rate of 25 to be not stuck 10 times on body on a very playable pitch where others scored at a much higher strike rate. Pujara kills the entire momentum and takes zero responsibility to win the match.

Lol.

Keep coming with these gems buddy.
 
You would expect a no:3 batsman who plays at a strike rate of 25 to be not stuck 10 times on body on a very playable pitch where others scored at a much higher strike rate. Pujara kills the entire momentum and takes zero responsibility to win the match.

You are understating his role and performance. Without that innings I don't think India would have won. The solid resolute defence allowed Gill to play his shots. India have a whole bunch of flamboyant quick scoring talented batters. It really helps to have someone their you can depend on. This is test cricket after all.
 
People who do not understand the importance of chepu's 200+ plus ball half century and only praise gill and pant have absolute no idea about test cricket at all.....
This man , took the pain , held ome side , absolutely bored and exhausted aussie quicks to a point that they cudnt deliver in final hour
 
He exhausted Starc and Hazlewood completely. They were lifeless by the time 2nd new ball came. We need Pujaras and Pants to win a test!
 
Indians to face 200+ balls in Australia (Test)

Pujara - 6 times*
Kohli - 5 times
Gavaskar - 5 times
Sachin - 4 times
 
Pujara, hats off, was hit 11-12 times todah and mind you those were nasty blows from some of the nastiest pace bowlers ever known.

Pujara put his body on the line today.

Over my dead body approach!
 
What a star! Respect ... i wholeheartedly agree with other posters who say that Pujara is the one that made the victory possible by exhausting and deflating the Aussie quicks..
 
Pujara is like Misbah in his peak(minus the muscles of course). Not the best batman, but unmatched when it comes to sheer grit and patience.

Although Australia was very unlucky, Pujara should have been out a few times.
 
Absolute legend

This man needs a payrise


Absolute heroic performance inspiring teammates.
 
Indians to face 200+ balls in Australia (Test)

Pujara - 6 times*
Kohli - 5 times
Gavaskar - 5 times
Sachin - 4 times

Sachin's only done it 4 times? He played so many good innings in Aus tho...
 
Absolutely marvelous innings which will get far less recognition than it should. Time and again we have seen teams falter against the Australian bowling lineup in the last innings. They need just the tiniest of openings to rip through batting teams. Pujara sewed up one end so comprehensively that he not just tired them physically but also mentally and by the time they got him they had very little left in the tank and Pant capitalized really well. Yes, Gill's knock was indeed magisterial, but without Pujara's guts India's middle and lower order would have been exposed to a relatively fresher Australian pace attack and with the pressure of playing out a lot of overs Pant might not have been able to do what he did.
 
Absolutely marvelous innings which will get far less recognition than it should. Time and again we have seen teams falter against the Australian bowling lineup in the last innings. They need just the tiniest of openings to rip through batting teams. Pujara sewed up one end so comprehensively that he not just tired them physically but also mentally and by the time they got him they had very little left in the tank and Pant capitalized really well. Yes, Gill's knock was indeed magisterial, but without Pujara's guts India's middle and lower order would have been exposed to a relatively fresher Australian pace attack and with the pressure of playing out a lot of overs Pant might not have been able to do what he did.

Indeed....

His impact goes beyond stats tho he has good stats too.
 
Can't help but admire this man. The definition of concentration and mental fortitude, in an era of impatient T20 slogging. What a player
 
Indias wall showed brutual determination and concentration without him playing that many balls india wouldnt have won
 
Top knock Puji , has played so many gutsy knocks in his test careers, hope i remind mysef everytime i think he is being atrocious.
 
Most test runs vs Australia (Among active players

C.Pujara - 1893**
J.Root - 1694
V.Kohli - 1682
M.Vijay - 1324 (Still not Retired)
A.Rahane - 1090
Azhar Ali - 1000
R.Taylor - 999
B.Stokes - 921
S.Broad - 899
J.Bairstow - 890
Faf du Plessis - 888
K.Williamson - 699
 
He is certainly in the league of Alastair Cook, Kane Williamson and Geoffrey Boycott as a test batsman.

77(205) and 56(211) are better than some of the test hundreds you see on a daily basis.
 
3rd Australian series in a row that he won for us, definitely India's most important batsman. I hope 30 years down the line people remember these knocks instead of just looking at his averages.
 
Most test runs vs Australia (Among active players

C.Pujara - 1893**
J.Root - 1694
V.Kohli - 1682
M.Vijay - 1324 (Still not Retired)
A.Rahane - 1090
Azhar Ali - 1000
R.Taylor - 999
B.Stokes - 921
S.Broad - 899
J.Bairstow - 890
Faf du Plessis - 888
K.Williamson - 699
Surprised to see that Murali Vijay in the list.
He scored really well against Aus
 
^ Murali Vijay is underrated , definitely good opener for India in OS compare to so many other mediocre openers.
 
Pujara has denied Aussies so much test success, they must hate his guts but admire and respect him to death.
 
Gutsiest cricketer in the world today. Look at the blows he has taken. I know people are more impressed with Gill and Pant, and they are phenomenal talents , but I was much more captivated by the passage of play when Hazlewood and Cummins were peppering him with short balls and he was almost inviting them to continue with that strategy.

I dont want sound too fantastical but it almost seemed like he was bent on making the Aussies bang it in as long as they could so that , once tired, Washi, Pant could counter attack against a spent Aussie pace attack.

Woth the exception of Dean Elgar , I cant think of to many guys batsmen like him.
 
Yeah. That was Steve Waugh, Allan Border type stuff. Epic level toughness.

S Waugh vs Ambrose, Walsh & 2x Benjamins to topple Windies reign in 1995.

Allan Border 1984 vs Marshall, Garner, Wayne Daniel scored 198 across 2 innings, never dismissed while everyone else in the match got rolled.

Pujara had a series to talk about with that for toughness. He didn't get a high score but toughed it out vs a great attack & was a rock for the others to bat around. The fact the attack (bar Cummins) got tired Test after Test is because Pujara faced more balls than anyone in the series.

Big effect on the games & series which all the rest benefited from as well as solid results for himself. Considering the loss of other experienced players & captain, his courage must have had a huge effect on inspiring the juniors to bounce back from 36.

All against what I think will still be judged an excellent Test attack. Serious batsman.
 
Pujara turns 33 in a few hours time. What a warrior he is.

No pain, no gain: Cheteshwar Pujara shares what his family was going through while watching the fiercest battle

https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/gabba-win-no-pain-no-gain-cheteshwar-pujara-interview-pujara-family-interview-the-fiercest-battle-7155228/

Some interesting bits.

“From my early days, I am not in the habit of taking pain- killers. That’s why my threshold to bear pain is pretty high. You play for so long, you get used to getting hit,” says the man who, for the second straight series in Australia, played close to 1,000 balls in four Tests. From Rajkot, Arvind says that he once heard from his doctor friend that pain-killers fool your mind and delay healing. Pujara Jr was around, he overheard it and, like many things connected to his game, this too got embedded in his mind. “Only if the doctors really insist will he take pain-killers,” Arvind says.

“I mostly got hit from one end and that too against (Pat) Cummins. There was this crack on the pitch around the short- of-length spot from where the ball would just take off. Cummins has the skill to make the ball rear up from there and make it follow you. In case I took my hand up to defend it, there was a risk that I would glove the ball. Considering the match situation and how we couldn’t afford to lose wickets, I decided to let the ball hit my body,” he says.

The other option was to counter the short ball with a horizontal bat but the triangle of fine-leg, short and deep square made it a risky shot. On the last tour, he had fallen playing a pull. Brisbane was too precious; Pujara’s cricket wasn’t dictated by ego or bravado.
 
I'm not sure why getting hit is romanticised.Gill was batting at the other end and didnt get hit once .He was swatting

Kudos to Pujara for staying on but he needs better defensive/attacking technique to counter short stuff.
 
Lol at the Pujara love, had India lost, he would be heavily criticized. This player doesn't score much runs, rather spends time. That's not cricket, and can never be it.

Like a defender kicking the ball outside of the pitch rather than passing. It's players like him gives cricket, the "boring" tag...
 
Lol at the Pujara love, had India lost, he would be heavily criticized. This player doesn't score much runs, rather spends time. That's not cricket, and can never be it.

Like a defender kicking the ball outside of the pitch rather than passing. It's players like him gives cricket, the "boring" tag...

Yep 6000+ test runs and 18 x 100s is pathetic isn’t it. Guy is not fit for even first class domestic cricket.
 
He will forever be known as the Ironman Pujara from here onwards.

-Bhaijaan
 
I'm not sure why getting hit is romanticised.Gill was batting at the other end and didnt get hit once .He was swatting

Kudos to Pujara for staying on but he needs better defensive/attacking technique to counter short stuff.
Same way as the difference between a Dravid and a Sehwag though Dravid didn't use to get hit as much as Pujara does.

Their skill sets are totally different. Had Pujara not batted the way he did (he should not have got hit as many as he did though), we won't have won the series, plain and simple.

He totally tired and blunted Australian quicks resulting in lesser pressure on other Indian bats.
 
We have now won 2 test series in Australia and Pujara has played most important role in that, both series combined.
 
Yep 6000+ test runs and 18 x 100s is pathetic isn’t it. Guy is not fit for even first class domestic cricket.

Oh please, he is quality in what he does. Nobody has argued against it.

Its so called romance about his gameplay. He doesn’t deserve it.
 
Same way as the difference between a Dravid and a Sehwag though Dravid didn't use to get hit as much as Pujara does.

Their skill sets are totally different. Had Pujara not batted the way he did (he should not have got hit as many as he did though), we won't have won the series, plain and simple.

He totally tired and blunted Australian quicks resulting in lesser pressure on other Indian bats.

The key point is that Dravid didn't get hit as much

I'm not asking to be more attacking,but even in defense you have to look more assurance and convey a sense of calm to others.

I'm just asking him to bat better against short stuff without putting his body on the line.Its not even that the bounce was uneven.He somehow let it hit him
 
Yeah. That was Steve Waugh, Allan Border type stuff. Epic level toughness.

S Waugh vs Ambrose, Walsh & 2x Benjamins to topple Windies reign in 1995.

Allan Border 1984 vs Marshall, Garner, Wayne Daniel scored 198 across 2 innings, never dismissed while everyone else in the match got rolled.

Pujara had a series to talk about with that for toughness. He didn't get a high score but toughed it out vs a great attack & was a rock for the others to bat around. The fact the attack (bar Cummins) got tired Test after Test is because Pujara faced more balls than anyone in the series.

Big effect on the games & series which all the rest benefited from as well as solid results for himself. Considering the loss of other experienced players & captain, his courage must have had a huge effect on inspiring the juniors to bounce back from 36.

All against what I think will still be judged an excellent Test attack. Serious batsman.

Taking 30-35 blows in his body and still kept going. While watching that I immediately thought about Waugh playing such knocks against WI.
 
The key point is that Dravid didn't get hit as much

I'm not asking to be more attacking,but even in defense you have to look more assurance and convey a sense of calm to others.

I'm just asking him to bat better against short stuff without putting his body on the line.Its not even that the bounce was uneven.He somehow let it hit him

Pujara said he could have played it but since there was a spot in the pitch where the ball was rearing from... He chose to get hit.

This guy is almost ATG in my eyes.

Clutchest of them all.

Or right up there.
 
Lol at the Pujara love, had India lost, he would be heavily criticized. This player doesn't score much runs, rather spends time. That's not cricket, and can never be it.

Like a defender kicking the ball outside of the pitch rather than passing. It's players like him gives cricket, the "boring" tag...

How come you are always wrong mate.

Be it politics or cricket. :P
 
When I get time, I will open a thread listing Pujara's achievements and impact in crucial games.

There are sooo many innings that I feel like it will be a mammoth task.
 
Pujara said he could have played it but since there was a spot in the pitch where the ball was rearing from... He chose to get hit.

This guy is almost ATG in my eyes.

Clutchest of them all.

Or right up there.

He could have ducked.Also as I said Gill must also have batted at that end in that phase.

Anyway I'm just glad he's fit for Eng series.Time to make those daddy tons :vk
 
1611542463_3.jpg Amongst the 50 batsmen who have faced the maximum number of balls in Test cricket history, Pujara is ranked at number 5 (99.8 balls/inning) in terms of deliveries faced per innings. On an average, he has faced 99.79 balls per innings batted in his career. Only Geoff Boycott, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Allan Border have consumed more deliveries (according to data available) per innings batted than Pujara in Test cricket history. He has every chance to cross 100/innings in the Ind-Eng series.
 
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Lol at people giving advises like ducking, play horizontal shots etc.. He calculated risk and reward and decided not to play pull or hook. Gill took the other route most probably because he did not have confidence in his defense. As for ducking, not every short pitch ball can be handled by ducking. You might need to stand on your toes and defend if it is short but not short enough to duck. Since the pitch had cracks and was rearing of a length it will hit the body particularly when you are playing a defensive shot. He might not have got hit if he had played the shot. But in that case, it is a risky shot since there are fielders placed and he does not have the power to clear the field.


And we are talking about a guy who played the most significant part in 3 series wins against the aussies (2017,2018, 2021). I dont think any Indian has done that.
 
He could have ducked.Also as I said Gill must also have batted at that end in that phase.

Anyway I'm just glad he's fit for Eng series.Time to make those daddy tons :vk

The difference is that Pujara batted longer than both Gill and Pant. You can see that once Gill got to 60s-70s and started playing some shots, he was hitting a few short stuffs in the air and was just about surviving.

He could afford to do so because at other end, Pujara was there who ensured that Australia aren't able to make any inroads after they had negotiated the first session.

Pujara is the rock in Indian team and if he would have tried to score runs or get some bat on those short stuff bowling, he could have got out and it would have given Australia a chance with Mayank and the rest left.

Those two innings of Pujara in Sydney and Gabba are as good as most test hundreds you would see. I will put him in the same tier as Cook, Younis, Boycott, Kirsten and Langer as a test batsman.

Dravid was better than Pujara against pace but inferior against spin compared to Pujara.
 
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