Cheteshwar Pujara Discussion Thread

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Should be a healthy competition to dominate between Kohli n Pujara now...

Interesting times ahead!

 

[cricket.mad]

i think chateshwar's strikerate should improve a bit.it would have been ok if it has been 10 years ago but may not be in todays cricket

 

[giri26]

i think chateshwar's strikerate should improve a bit.it would have been ok if it has been 10 years ago but may not be in todays cricket

This is Test cricket and not a T20. SR of 53 is more than acceptable at this level.

 

[Bhaijaan]

50+ SR is just fine. Relax, this is test cricket.

 

[style_guru]

i think chateshwar's strikerate should improve a bit.it would have been ok if it has been 10 years ago but may not be in todays cricket

One Sehwag is enough for a team. India has natural stroke makers in the form of Virat, Yuvraj, MS, & even GG when in form.

The only guy who looks rock solid as of now, is Pujara. No point in asking him to shift gears.

And he should be kept away from T20.

 

[kungfu90]

Sachin has around 54. Lara and Ponting 60+. Even 45+ is decent.

 

[leatherface58]

People are spoiled by sehwag's batting. 80+ strike rate

 

[GreenKnightRises]

This Guy Has Got seriously some talent and patience.. Can Be Your next VVS Laxman

 

[nish_mate]

i think chateshwar's strikerate should improve a bit.it would have been ok if it has been 10 years ago but may not be in todays cricket

Man you in too much rush....

Chillax.... Have some herbal stuff and the world will go by a lot slower

 

[Bhaijaan]

If he had partners with similar patience, he would have gone on and on. Expect a 300 in this series. Yes you read it here first.

 

[cricketworm]

In test cricket spending more time on pitch is considered as a tactic as well. You spend that much time means England players get tired more and pitch get used for that much amount of time as well.

The same way, spending less time and getting more output in little time, as Viru does it, is also a tactic. You ruin the new ball rapidly as an opener and give plenty of time for middle order to lay the anchor.

 

[Tridibans_16]

As of now, I feel Pujara has a better technique/ mentality in test cricket to succeed overseas. Obv. too soon to speak of that but looking at his patience and ability to grind out the tough situations, he can be our next Dravid in SA/ENG/AUS. Kohli, as much as a gun player in LOIs, has to prove himself in tests more often, for me to consider him with the likes of Dravid/ Tendu.

 

[AlizeeFan]

Playing a very good inning here

 

[Poison]

He's the real deal.

Is literally the new Dravid .. so far hasn't shown a glaring technical weakness, is good on the short ball and has a very good compact technique. Will score 10,000 runs you heard it here first.

 

[Poison]

Make that 7,000 he's already 24

 

[AlizeeFan]

Is literally the new Dravid .. so far hasn't shown a glaring technical weakness, is good on the short ball and has a very good compact technique. Will score 10,000 runs you heard it here first.

Aajkal koi dus hazaar se neeche baat hi nahi karta.

 

[King Cobra]

I still remember how he was all over the place against Steyn and co in SA . He got sh*t scared and ran away mid series , then sat out for important series in England and Aus citing injury excures , then after all the challenging series got over suddenly claimed to have recovered from injury and ever since has been bashing some ordinary attacks at home .

No rating for now .

 

[AlizeeFan]

I still remember how he was all over the place against Steyn and co in SA . He got sh*t scared and ran away mid series , then sat out for important series in England and Aus citing injury excures , then after all the challenging series got over suddenly claimed to have recovered from injury and ever since has been bashing some ordinary attacks at home .

No rating for now .

 

[Poison]

If you send a subcontinental batsmen to play his first few games in SA he's going to struggle regardless of how good he is.

 

[James]

A much better Test batsman than the overrated Kohli

 

[King Cobra]

If you send a subcontinental batsmen to play his first few games in SA he's going to struggle regardless of how good he is.

Yeah but whether or not he belongs to SRT/RD/Laxman category can only be confirmed after he has done better on those pitches , so gotta wait for now IMO .

In SC , even virender sehwag scores doubles and triples for fun .

 

[Poison]

Fair call

 

[Itachi]

Guys, he is still new. Comparing to the greats would be far fetched but he is NOT THAT BAD as some people are trying to portray here.

 

[amlafan79]

no man he is nothing great umar akmal is the one with the all shots and perfect technique who is this guy scoring test double hundred and not getting dismissed even once (even at home thats a big damn achievement!!!!!! )

 

[panther]

no man he is nothing great umar akmal is the one with the all shots and perfect technique who is this guy scoring test double hundred and not getting dismissed even once (even at home thats a big damn achievement!!!!!! )

We have fawad alam scored 150 on debut in sri lanka. but due to our current batting line up being so strong, he has no place in the side.

 

[Itachi]

We have fawad alam scored 150 on debut in sri lanka. but due to our current batting line up being so strong, he has no place in the side.

poor guy. Miandad would have to warm the bench had he played in this era.

 

[amlafan79]

We have fawad alam scored 150 on debut in sri lanka. but due to our current batting line up being so strong, he has no place in the side.

ur gonna tour south africa next

 

[panther]

ur gonna tour south africa next

For the better get rid of hafeez and cheema.

 

[R0H1T]

If you send a subcontinental batsmen to play his first few games in SA he's going to struggle regardless of how good he is.

Except SRT

 

[Akmal Dynasty]

wow impressive so far.

 

[style_guru]

Congrats Pujara on another century. Hope you keep piling more of them, and always be as selfish as you can be

 

[JibranAnsari]

Brilliant bat

 

[Zahid87]

If I were part of the Indian set up, I would insist that this guy skips the IPL, and plays a season ot two of county cricket. If he can master seaming and swinging conditions, he could be a great.

Yes, tough conditions today, and he showed the bottle to stay calm and grind it out, but until he scores runs outside Asia, there will be a question mark next to his name after the 8-0.

 

[par]

If I were part of the Indian set up, I would insist that this guy skips the IPL, and plays a season ot two of county cricket. If he can master seaming and swinging conditions, he could be a great.

Yes, tough conditions today, and he showed the bottle to stay calm and grind it out, but until he scores runs outside Asia, there will be a question mark next to his name after the 8-0.

Why? What did he have to do with 8-0?

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Gotta love people's over-reaction. In just 2 tests a player is touted to be the next 'wall' and Kohli to be 'over-rated'. )

 

[IAJ]

Home or away, good start to his career. About his batting in seaming conditons, that can be discussed when he plays in those conditions.

 

[Bhaijaan]

3rd test hundred and the best of them all. What a find !

 

[Sandeep]

People compare him to Dravid, but I find this guy closer to VVS! Not boring to watch is one quality

 

[Bhaijaan]

Dravid wasn't boring, besides Dravid was way better in ODIs than Laxman. Both of them however were no Tendulkar.

 

[Zahid87]

Why? What did he have to do with 8-0?

Absoulutely nothing. But 8-0 meant that every Indian batsmen with an apparently great record, will be judged only after having suceeded outside the Sub-Continent.

 

[Sandeep]

Absoulutely nothing. But 8-0 meant that every Indian batsmen with an apparently great record, will be judged only after having suceeded outside the Sub-Continent.

So what about the series wins we had prior to those 2 series? Weren't our batsmen good?

 

[bin_pendi_ka_lota]

The ones in dissmal 8-0 are still not performing or have retired.

 

[Sandeep]

Dravid wasn't boring, besides Dravid was way better in ODIs than Laxman. Both of them however were no Tendulkar.

Dravid was a great player, but to me and most fans (yes, I'm an avid Test follower) he was a bit boring!

 

[Zahid87]

So what about the series wins we had prior to those 2 series? Weren't our batsmen good?

Of course they were. No need for people to get their knickers in a twist.

All I am saying is that after the abject failure of both Indian batsmen and bowlers outside the Sub-Continent last year, a new Indian player will have further scrutiny on him, until he does well outside of the Sub-Continent.

For people who are in a normal state of mind, and not ready to go giddy at the name of Pujara, this makes perfect sense.

 

[Sandeep]

Of course they were. No need for people to get their knickers in a twist.

All I am saying is that after the abject failure of both Indian batsmen and bowlers outside the Sub-Continent last year, a new Indian player will have further scrutiny on him, until he does well outside of the Sub-Continent.

For people who are in a normal state of mind, and not ready to go giddy at the name of Pujara, this makes perfect sense.

I agree with each and every word you've said in your previous post, but we need to understand that the three Indian players who were dismal were past their prime and fading away! Pujara will be tested when he tours SA next, no doubts on that!

 

[Zahid87]

I agree with each and every word you've said in your previous post, but we need to understand that the three Indian players who were dismal were past their prime and fading away! Pujara will be tested when he tours SA next, no doubts on that!

You may put it down to them being old and fading away, but a lot of people will point at a lack of technique required on those pitches. The way a lot of Indians will say that the English can't play spin.

Pujara will be tested when he goes to S.A., and if he pulls out a similar innings on a greentop there, then by all means I won't object when you make him out to be the second coming.

 

[Sandeep]

You may put it down to them being old and fading away, but a lot of people will point at a lack of technique required on those pitches. The way a lot of Indians will say that the English can't play spin.

Pujara will be tested when he goes to S.A., and if he pulls out a similar innings on a greentop there, then by all means I won't object when you make him out to be the second coming.

hmm...I've never said Pujara is a great already or anything! But lets not make a big deal out of this! Cheers

 

[style_guru]

hmm...I've never said Pujara is a great already or anything! But lets not make a big deal out of this! Cheers

But can't i put words in your mouth, you see:rana

 

[delhi_dude]

good cricketer

 

[leatherface58]

Averaging 85 now.

Broad averages 145 in India though....with the ball

 

[straightdrive1]

C. Pujara has everything that a great batsman needs:

*Technique

* Elegance

*Intelligence (Where gaps are and where the fielders are,which ball to attack,etc.)

* Temperament

 

[Singham]

Kid is a very good Backfoot player, which would come in handy on bouncy tracks.!!!

 

[Saurav]

Dravid was a great player, but to me and most fans (yes, I'm an avid Test follower) he was a bit boring!

isnt that Dravid in whites in your AV

 

[kungfu90]

isnt that Dravid in whites in your AV

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01612/samit_1612337a.jpg

 

[Saurav]

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01612/samit_1612337a.jpg

LOL by me.failed to recognise the great al round cricketer

 

[Jeetu111]

CP is a super bat & excellent replacement for great Dravid .

 

[cricketworm]

10 years from now, someone will do 'stat' analysis and dismiss this 100 as it was played on so called 'subcontinent' pitch, which will not have any reference of 5 Indian wickets were down on tough pitch to bat on! It will not have the information that how skillful he had to remain to score this 100.

 

[Buffet]

You may put it down to them being old and fading away, but a lot of people will point at a lack of technique required on those pitches. The way a lot of Indians will say that the English can't play spin.

Only who started watching cricket in last few years otherwise it will be a foolish statement. Same Indian line up has batted in very well swinging conditions many times in past. They were pathetic in Aus/Eng tour but they have batted very well in similar conditions in past.

On other hand , I don't remember too many good collective performances from English batsmen on spinning tracks. We are comparing apple to orange here.

 

[Buffet]

10 years from now, someone will do 'stat' analysis and dismiss this 100 as it was played on so called 'subcontinent' pitch, which will not have any reference of 5 Indian wickets were down on tough pitch to bat on! It will not have the information that how skillful he had to remain to score this 100.

LOL. Only-rely-on-stats-fans don't care about the match or pitch conditions. Pujara has played one of the best knocks on turners against a quality spin attack.

 

[Jeetu111]

10 years from now, someone will do 'stat' analysis and dismiss this 100 as it was played on so called 'subcontinent' pitch, which will not have any reference of 5 Indian wickets were down on tough pitch to bat on! It will not have the information that how skillful he had to remain to score this 100.

i hope every one takes notice of the fact that he came on crease after ball 2 of the day & stayed unbeaten on a tough tough surface scoring a ton -its a brilliant knock.

 

[Lethalweapon]

i hope every one takes notice of the fact that he came on crease after ball 2 of the day & stayed unbeaten on a tough tough surface scoring a ton -its a brilliant knock.

Unresponsive pitches for pacers = good for spinners, Indians are good players of spin. So those pitches look like roads , teams who can't play spin will struggle on those but not Indians unless it is the 5th day.

 

[panther]

Unresponsive pitches for pacers = good for spinners, Indians are good players of spin. So those pitches look like roads , teams who can't play spin will struggle on those but not Indians unless it is the 5th day.

This everyone is a lion at home ask ian bell.

 

[cricketworm]

Unresponsive pitches for pacers = good for spinners, Indians are good players of spin. So those pitches look like roads , teams who can't play spin will struggle on those but not Indians unless it is the 5th day.

LOL we are so great against spin is the most overrated aspect of our batting technique. We are good that doesn't mean we don't have to work hard for it. If it was that easy then we wouldn't have been in this position. England is literally into tails at the moment. And 5 wickets fell against spinners.

 

[cricketworm]

LOL. Only-rely-on-stats-fans don't care about the match or pitch conditions. Pujara has played one of the best knocks on turners against a quality spin attack.

And if we compare to other Indian batsmen that makes this knock very quality.

 

[Zahid87]

Only who started watching cricket in last few years otherwise it will be a foolish statement. Same Indian line up has batted in very well swinging conditions many times in past. They were pathetic in Aus/Eng tour but they have batted very well in similar conditions in past.

On other hand , I don't remember too many good collective performances from English batsmen on spinning tracks. We are comparing apple to orange here.

Ok....if we take out Tendulkar, and Dravid (who actually performed well in England), which of the rest unquestionabley performed well in those conditions consistently in the past:

Sehwag - not really.
Gambhir - no
Raina - no
Kohli - performed well in one test down under
Laxman - never really did well in England
Dhoni - no

Not apples vs oranges.

 

[jusarrived]

This everyone is a lion at home ask ian bell.

but strangely this logic is used only for Indian batsmen .

 

[panther]

but strangely this logic is used only for Indian batsmen .

Indians bring it upon themselves.

 

[Lethalweapon]

Ok....if we take out Tendulkar, and Dravid (who actually performed well in England), which of the rest unquestionabley performed well in those conditions consistently in the past:

Sehwag - not really.
Gambhir - no
Raina - no
Kohli - performed well in one test down under
Laxman - never really did well in England
Dhoni - no

Not apples vs oranges.

Sehwag actually started opening in England and began with a ton in 2002.
Dhoni did very well in 2007 , his first tour.

 

[Lethalweapon]

LOL we are so great against spin is the most overrated aspect of our batting technique. We are good that doesn't mean we don't have to work hard for it. If it was that easy then we wouldn't have been in this position. England is literally into tails at the moment. And 5 wickets fell against spinners.

But Indians are better than most of the teams in handling spin.
Look at Swann in last test, Panesar now. 4fer and 5fer at the cost of nearly 100 runs.
Spinners rarely get Indian wkts. cheaply. Even Mendis had to contend with a rampaging Sehwag.

 

[James]

I'm practically in awe of Pujara at the moment. A superb bat.

 

[Lethalweapon]

Indians bring it upon themselves.

Really? only very good players of spin average 50+ in India like Kallis,Amla,YK and Mahela.
even then 'top' players like Sangakara,Lara ,Ponting, Gilchrist Graeme Smith have failed in India. Even your own Zaheer Abbas failed in India.

 

[Buffet]

Ok....if we take out Tendulkar, and Dravid (who actually performed well in England), which of the rest unquestionabley performed well in those conditions consistently in the past:

Sehwag - not really.
Gambhir - no
Raina - no
Kohli - performed well in one test down under
Laxman - never really did well in England
Dhoni - no

Not apples vs oranges.

In Swinging conditions, India has won many matches in last decade. In fact they won test series in England by batting very well in swinging pitch in 2007. You are right about the fact that apart from Tendulkar and Dravid there was no unquestionable consistent performer in alien conditions in last decade or so but at times others played well as well. That's the reason Dravid/Tendulkar are ATG and at different level. You can not expect whole team to play like that. Indian team with this batting line up won more tests abroad in last 15 years or so than whole Indian team total wins before that. It would not have been possible if they were playing like England plays on turners.

Forming a perception about famous batting line up ability to play in alien conditions based only on Aus/Eng series is not right. Dravid and Lashman retired now so that tells you where they were in their career. Same situation with Tendulkar. Reflexes are not same when you are 36-40 age bracket.

England has hardly won tests let alone a series on turners and that's the reason for this apple to orange comparison when you are talking about fading Indian line up( Tendulkar, Dravid, Lakshman etc) ability to play in alien conditions as opposed to English batsmen ability to play on turners. Few English batsmen like Thorpe, Gooch played very well but collective they have been very bad in last 10 -15 years when it comes to playing on turners. Let's see how much they improve going forward.

 

[leatherface58]

Dude is so calm out there. Nothing seems to faze him. Impeccable technique too.

 

[James]

I guess we do have to wait until he has played in a wider range of conditions, but the signs look good. He can definitely succeed outside of Asia, particularly in England, with his solid technique against reverse swing and slow spin.

 

[panther]

Really? only very good players of spin average 50+ in India like Kallis,Amla,YK and Mahela.
even then 'top' players like Sangakara,Lara ,Ponting, Gilchrist Graeme Smith have failed in India. Even your own Zaheer Abbas failed in India.

Indians like to brag about the 50+ average of dravid, srt and gavasker outside of india.

inflated average due to flat tracks.

 

[Buffet]

Indians like to brag about the 50+ average of dravid, srt and gavasker outside of india.

inflated average due to flat tracks.

How many SC batsmen have 50+ average outside SC? I would expect lot more batsmen to capitalize on flat tracks to inflate their average outside SC.

It's not easy to play in alien conditions. That's why I rated Cook's last test performance very high.

 

[Buffet]

I guess we do have to wait until he has played in a wider range of conditions, but the signs look good. He can definitely succeed outside of Asia, particularly in England, with his solid technique against reverse swing and slow spin.

Best thing is hunger to bat for long time. He has very good temperament so even if he does not do so well initially, he is likely to improve with time on different conditions. Anyway, long way to go for him as far as batting in different conditions are concerned but he has played back to back fantastic innings in difficult situation. Current knock on tuners with bounce against a quality spin attack shows his temperament.

 

[RexRex]

All I am saying is that after the abject failure of both Indian batsmen and bowlers outside the Sub-Continent last year, a new Indian player will have further scrutiny on him, until he does well outside of the Sub-Continent.

Pujara has always been the heavy scorer in India A tours to England and the Emerging players tourneys in Australia so that's a good sign.

 

[Lethalweapon]

Pujara has always been the heavy scorer in India A tours to England and the Emerging players tourneys in Australia so that's a good sign.

This is true.
But 8-0 has given India a negative image.
what Zahid87 says is also true.

 

[yasir]

Yesterday's Pujara innings was a treat to watch... He is way better than Kholi/Rohit Sharma/Raina/Yui etc or any other upcoming international batsman... His defense, temperament and foot work was great, another Dravid in the making, he does not seems to have an obvious weakness, probably has a better chance of performing overseas than any other indian or as a matter of fact asian... India would have being much better served if they had taken him to foreign tours rather than the others I mentioned...Rangi can still produce great talent, mainly because of the turning pitches they have...

Now he is an exceptional talent and was only possible because of not playing IPL rather traditional Rangi (at least that is my reading)... Can india continue to do that?? The other big question is what kind of future he has in IPL and other money making aspects of the modern day cricket? How he going to evolve may end up being a blue print of how classic and modern cricket will co-exist.

Other thing is that Ashwin is a way better batsman for no 8... He should come before Dhoni (his technique is much better than him), plus he probably plays spin better than Yvi as well...

One thing is getting clear these ODI and T20 stoke makers are not going to last long in the test cricket... Where depth and breath of skills are really tested... Test cricket is much harder than the other formats where defense and temperament are as important (if not more) than the natural talent or technique, can T20 really teach you these things??