"Is the glass half full or half empty?" - Aakash Chopra reacts to Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli's batting in 2nd India vs New Zealand Test
Aakash Chopra put forward a question of perspective - "Is the glass half full or half empty?" - for Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli's batting performance on Sunday.
Both senior batters registered ducks in India's first innings of the second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai. In the second essay, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 47 off 97 balls and Virat Kohli gleaned an 84-ball 36. This meant that both failed to convert a good start and break their two-year-old century drought.
Speaking about the former, Aakash Chopra said while 47 is not a bad score, it also shows Cheteshwar Pujara's failure to make it big once again. He remarked that the No. 3 batter is currently "doing just enough" to stay in the team, adding that from a long-term perspective, his lack of centuries is only making his path tougher.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said:
"Is the glass half full or half empty? ... He has certainly scored runs, albeit missed his half-century. He couldn't open his account in the first innings so 47 in the second innings is not a bad return. From one point of view, it's OK that he has got some runs under his belt. But the fact is that he didn't score a century here either. And if that won't happen, the way forward will be very tough."
Aakash Chopra added:
"I think he's doing alright, he's doing just enough to stay in the side. You also want to give him a longer rope... But when you look at the bigger picture then you feel that it's high time he scored runs and centuries."
Coming to Virat Kohli, Aakash Chopra said the skipper's case is different from Cheteshwar Pujara's. He remarked that as Kohli plays all formats, his contribution to the Indian team comes from "somewhere or the other," unlike Pujara, whose lack of runs in the only format he plays hurts his case more.
Aakash Chopra explained:
"His case is different from Kohli's because we see Kohli play every week... He plays all formats so the wheel keeps moving, runs keep coming from somewhere or the other... When you play continuously, you make those important contributions, and [think that] the century will come. But as Pujara plays only Tests - last he played in September and will next play in South Africa and Sri Lanka - then the gaps are bigger and his case becomes difficult."
Big score still eludes @imVkohli. Had batted watchfully, looking for time in the middle and runs in the scorebook, but the innings ends in a whimper. Suspect declaration is not too far away now
Cheteshwar Pujara hasn't scored a hundred since February 2019 and Virat Kohli hasn't done the same since November of the same year. Both have played crucial knocks for the team regularly, even displaying their best game at some stages, but the lack of big innings has impacted their averages substantially.
"India need centuries" - Aakash Chopra
Stumps on Day 3 of the 2nd Test.
#TeamIndia 5 wickets away from victory.
Scorecard - bit.ly/IndvNZ2ndTest #INDvNZ @Paytm https://t.co/C7luRRTwNk
Speaking further about Virat Kohli, Aakash Chopra said his dismissal on Sunday was just bad luck. He remarked that although the 33-year-old is at peace with not scoring hundreds, India need him to do just that because the middle order gets "very weak" without it.
Aakash Chopra concluded by saying:
"They say that when your luck is bad then even a man sitting on a camel gets bitten by an ant. And the ant bit him today... Initally, you think 'It will happen now because you think you have made 71 tons, 72nd will come too. When it doesn't happen you get obsessed then if doesn't happen still, you are at peace thinking 'It will happen if it has to'. I think Virat Kohli has reached that stage... But India need centuries because if none of Rahane, Pujara and Kohli are scoring centuries then middle order gets very weak and you won't have the courage to step out with just five batters."
India concluded Day 3 in Mumbai with their opponents at 140-5, still 400 runs behind the target. The hosts will look to wrap up the match by Lunch on Monday.