Cheteshwar Pujara has batted all day in tough conditions overseas India Strong in recent days. His memorable heroism at the Gabba helped Steam script history Down Under in 2021. And now, after a surprising county stint earlier this year, the ace batsman is up against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad as India look to win a series on English soil.
Pujara scored a half-century in the second innings on Sunday, playing an unbeaten 50 at the stumps. He was accompanied by Rishabh Pant who was batting on 30. The pair will resume the innings at 125/3 on the final day of the ongoing game as the visitors lead by 257 runs.
Mohammad Siraj, who finished the first innings after the end of the third day’s play, praised Pujara and called him a ‘warrior’.
“He (Pujara) is a warrior. In Australia, he did it and here too, he is working. He is always there whenever the team needs it. When a difficult situation comes, he is always there to work. Perfect, it’s difficult for him to bowl, he doesn’t attack much and just keeps on dropping the balls to get upset in the nets,” Siraj said during a press conference.
The right-arm pacer further spoke about England batsman Jonny Bairstow, who stood out with a scintillating century. He later scored runs in 140 balls including 14 fours and 2 sixes.
Siraj said the team knew Bairstow was in excellent form and could only bring him down by sticking to the fundamentals.
“As bowlers, we just had to be patient. Bairstow has been in form and has been batting aggressively since the New Zealand series. So, we knew his confidence was high. Our simple plan was to stick to our basics and do anything for us, it was a matter of the ball, be it the inswinger or seaming off the pitch,” he said.
Siraj has received consistent support from stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah in the game. Praising the latter, the Hyderabad bowler said, “As a player and a captain, he has been the same. He is always supportive and always there to help me. Whenever I do wrong, he tries to explain to me what to bowl in certain situations.
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos And cricket score Here