"Cheteshwar Pujara is again not thinking about runs" - Aakash Chopra highlights the biggest problem with India's no.3
Aakash Chopra believes Cheteshwar Pujara's ultra-defensive mindset has proved to be his Achilles heel lately.
Pujara scored 702 runs at an underwhelming average of 28.08 in the 14 Tests he has played for Team India in 2021. The dogged batter has not scored a Test century since the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and managed just six half-centuries in 26 innings this year.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out the root cause of Pujara's issues. He explained:
"I feel the biggest problem is that Pujara is again not thinking about runs. His best friend is his patience, his second-best friend is his defense and he has started living with these two friends so much that he has forgotten about the third, which is the most important, that is scoring runs."
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Pujara is just waiting for bad deliveries to score his runs. Chopra elaborated:
"He just keeps the bat in the middle with very little intent it seems. It is neither going forward nor back. If he is not trying to play shots, he is waiting for half-volleys, a ball on the legs or a short ball where he can play the cut."
Cheteshwar Pujara has walked in and walked out.
In the first 38 innings of his Test career, Pujara was never dismissed for a duck.
Since December 2020, he's been out for a duck four times.
#SAvIND https://t.co/BqpvXDb3OC
Pujara was dismissed for a duck in India's first innings of the ongoing Boxing Day Test against South Africa. In the second innings, he faced 64 deliveries for his 16 runs, which included a couple of half-volleys and a short ball being dispatched for fours.
"We all talk about why Cheteshwar Pujara gets so many wicket-taking balls" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also explained why Pujara has fallen victim to a jaffa repeatedly. He said:
"If you don't get bad balls regularly, which you don't get in Test cricket, then a long time passes without you having scored runs. Then you get the wicket-taking balls and we all talk about why Pujara gets so many wicket-taking balls, it is because the bowlers are not scared that they will be hit for fours and they keep bowling at one spot and they bowl the magic ball."
The 44-year-old concluded by stating that Pujara needs to bat with the intent he showed in the second innings at Leeds. Chopra observed:
"That's been the problem with Pujara. The knock he had played in Leeds, that was early Pujara but after that, you are again seeing the Pujara who is not really moving his bat - if the bat doesn't go back, it won't go forward also."
Fastest half-century for Pujara in SENA countries
vs ENG (91 balls), Leeds, 2021*
vs ENG (95 balls), Nottingham, 2014
vs AUS (96 balls), Adelaide, 2014
vs SA (97 balls), Durban, 2013
#ENGvsIND #TestCricket https://t.co/N8iuan2IHW
Aakash Chopra did acknowledge that Pujara has played some crucial knocks, including those in Leeds, Sydney and Brisbane. However, he added that the team expects bigger contributions from him as the no.3 spot is a critical position in the batting order.