IND v AUS 2020: 'The reality is he hurt us badly'- Matthew Hayden on Cheteshwar Pujara's past heroics
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has said that the hosts will need to go on a campaign to make sure they have enough caffeine to watch Cheteshwar Pujara bat against them in the upcoming series.
Speaking on Star Sports show GAME PLAN, Hayden said Cheteshwar Pujara was one of the few guys in Test cricket that could have a sub 45 strike rate and still hurt the opposition.
"As you know Australians love to drink coffee, and we have decided to go on a little campaign to make sure we have plenty of caffeine when it comes to watching (Cheteshwar) Pujara bat. But, you know what the reality is, he hurt us badly. We are a generation now where we are admiring people for their strike play, we are admiring people for their strike rate. Well, he is one of the few guys in Test cricket that have a strike rate of sub 45 and he can hurt you." Hayden stated.
Cheteshwar Pujara was a vital cog in India's success in the 2018-19 series and will be hoping to have a similar impact in the upcoming Test series.
Pujara scored a total of 521 runs, which comprised of three tons. He was instrumental in wearing down the Australian bowling attack for large periods.
Sunil Gavaskar feels lack of match practice won't make any difference for 'mentally strong' Cheteshwar Pujara
The right-hander hasn't been part of much competitive cricket since India's tour of New Zealand concluded earlier this year.
However, former India skipper and veteran batsman Sunil Gavaskar feels this will make no difference to Cheteshwar Pujara.
" Out of 20 days of Test cricket that we have ahead of us, we are really happy to have him bat for 15 days, there is no question about it. Whether he has played any cricket or not, I dont' think it's going ot make any difference because he is so strong mentally, that he will be....he loves batting, he loves being at the crease, he loves wearing the bowlers down. In the last two years, he has also improved his strokes and range of shots," Sunil Gavaskar said.
Cheteshwar Pujara was not a part of India's second warm-up fixture against the Australia A side with the pink ball.
However, the 32-year-old did spend some valuable time out in the middle in the first warm-up game, scoring a half-century in the encounter.