Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has showered praise on Cheteshwar Pujara after the batter’s fine batting display on the second day of the third Test against Australia. Manjrekar feels India still needs Pujara in Test cricket and tipped his 59 runs knock as one of his best.
Pujara scored a gutsy knock on a difficult pitch as he made great use of the crease. The right-hander went back on the short deliveries and he was also quick to charge the spinners. Pujara found the right balance between defense and attack in Indore and helped India post 163 runs on the board.
Pujara completed his 35th fifty in Test cricket and it must be among the most difficult knocks he has played as the ball has been turning square on Indore’s pitch. The 35-year-old made the most of his experience and delivered the goods for the team but he couldn’t get support from the other end.
“What a wonderful innings. He may not have got a hundred, he has got 19 Test hundreds, but this was one of the best innings that I have seen. Because of the difficulty of the conditions,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.
“The way he balanced attack and defence was wonderful to watch. There is this new theory of attack to upset the bowler. He was just looking for the loose balls, he was not looking to go after everything,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pujara along with Ajinkya Rahane was dropped from the two home Test matches against Sri Lanka after their poor display against South Africa. However, Pujara was able to earn his place back into the team for the rescheduled Test against England in 2022 after impressive performances in County Cricket.
“That one-off Test match that we had in England. He came back after he was dropped for the home series. We thought Pujara’s career was over but then Rohit Sharma was unfit, there was another injury issue, he got a fighting fifty in that Test match. That’s when I realized India still needs Pujara. In this series, he has reclaimed that importance,” Manjrekar added.
“Until the KL Rahuls and the Iyers and Shubman Gills establish themselves in this batting unit, India still needs Pujara,” he added.
Despite Pujara’s valiant efforts with the bat, India could only muster 163 runs as none of the other batters could make a substantial contribution. Australia needs 76 runs to win the third Test match.
