IND v AUS 2020: Australian bowlers have the blueprint ready to tame Cheteshwar Pujara, reveals Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins revealed that the Australian bowlers are all prepared to tame India’s batting mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara. They plan to bowl straight at him and continuously attack the stumps.
The right-arm quick is happy to allow Pujara to bat for a while as long as he doesn’t get a big score. Pat Cummins believes that the bowlers were good enough to execute that plan even when Pujara played a long innings in the Adelaide Test.
“We're really clear on what we want to do to him […] You saw we brought another man to the leg side as well, to try to really attack his stumps. He batted really well in the first innings (scoring 43 from 160 balls), but we bowled well enough for the scoreboard not to go anywhere. So you feel like when you get him out if he hasn't got onto that big score then you're right in the game,” cricket.com.au quoted Pat Cummins.
The 27-year-old reckons that the pitch played a part in getting the crucial wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara. The strip had quickened noticeably during the third day, and there was enough bounce and movement on offer.
“One of the biggest helpers was the wicket. It felt like there was a bit of sideways movement, so we could just challenge his defence over and over again, and having a bit of bounce in the wicket certainly helped.”
Cheteshwar Pujara was the main difference between the two sides when India visited Australia in 2018. He scored 521 runs at an average of 74.43 which included three centuries.
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Pat Cummins wants a lively wicket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Pat Cummins added that he is hoping for a lively wicket at the MCG for the second Test against India. It was a pretty flat deck when India last played at the venue. The side batted for 170 overs, scoring 443/7 in the process.
“I thought the (2017-18) Ashes Test and the Indian Test at the MCG a couple of years ago were pretty flat and boring wickets as a bowler. Last year against New Zealand it was a really good wicket, it had a bit of sideways movement, pace and bounce so hopefully much the same (this year),” Cummins added.
The second Test at the MCG is slated to commence on Boxing Day. Australia is currently 1-0 up in the series after winning the first Test at the Adelaide Oval.
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