Cheteshwar Pujara admits Shubman Gill-Rohit Sharma opening combination suits his playing style
Cheteshwar Pujara has admitted that Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma opening for India allows him to play his natural game. The 33-year-old explained that the duo’s attacking playing style helps him in his own batting.
Although India struggled with their opening combination in the first two Tests against Australia, the visitors got it right when Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma came together. The duo put up two 50-plus partnerships in four innings and saw out the new ball more often than not.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times, when asked whether coming to the crease after Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill helps his batting, Cheteshwar Pujara replied:
“Both of them are attacking players. That does help me in some way. If another partner is trying to take the bowler on, it allows me to play my natural game.”
Cheteshwar Pujara amassed 208 runs in the final two Tests in Australia. Interestingly, he scored 76.75% of his runs after Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma started opening together for India.
Cheteshwar Pujara likes batting with attacking players
Although Cheteshwar Pujara couldn’t match the highs of the 2018-19 Australia tour, when he scored 521 runs, he still played a crucial role in India's recent series triumph Down Under.
The right-handed batsman occupied the crease for long intervals, frustrating the Australian bowlers in typical fashion. His second innings knock of 77 off 205 balls in Sydney set up the foundation for India to save the Test. He batted alongside Rishabh Pant on that occasion, and his solid display gave the youngster the freedom to play his aggressive game.
The same was evident on Day 5 of the final Test, as he allowed Shubman Gill and co. to go for the win. Cheteshwar Pujara braved testing conditions, taking more than 10 blows to the body in a stunning display of defiant batting.
His innings gave the Indian youngsters the confidence to go for an unlikely victory, as they knew Pujara was there to hold the other end up.
Explaining how batting with attacking batsmen helps him, Cheteshwar Pujara reminisced about his partnerships with former Indian opener Virender Sehwag.
“I have batted with Viru pajji (Sehwag) also, where he would have already put the opposition under pressure with his batting. That’s a great way to build a partnership,” Pujara added.
It will be interesting to see how Cheteshwar Pujara approaches his batting in the upcoming Test series against England. He will be expected to score at a quicker rate as the home conditions should work to his advantage.