“There comes a time when the team needs runs” - When Virat Kohli had the strike-rate discussion with Cheteshwar Pujara
Back in 2016, former Team India captain Virat Kohli spoke to Cheteshwar Pujara regarding his strike rate. Kohli opened up on this in the post-match press conference of the first Test against New Zealand.
India and New Zealand squared off at the Green Park International Stadium, Kanpur, in the first of three Test matches to be played in the series. India won the match by 197 runs to take a 1-0 series.
After the game, Kohli in a conversation with the press spoke about the chat he had with Pujara in the series before in West Indies. The-then India Test skipper said (as per ESPNCricinfo):
"Pujara is someone who absorbs the pressure really well but after a certain stage in the innings there comes a time when the team needs runs, that's where we felt that he has the ability to capitalise. It was just about conveying that to him. He has worked hard on his game. He scored at a good strike rate in the Duleep Trophy. Even on this wicket, he was scoring at 65, almost 70 strike rate."
Impressed by the Saurashtra batter's knocks of 62 and 78, Kohli further added:
"For me, it was a revelation to see Pujara bat that way. Because he used to bat that way initially. Especially at home. If you see his double-hundreds against England and Australia, he will dominate spinners. That's exactly what we wanted him to do. We didn't want him to go into a shell. We want Pujara to bat to his potential.
"Once he starts scoring runs to go with the composure he already has, it becomes very difficult for the opposition to have control of the game. That's all we wanted to convey to him."
Team India went on to win the three-match Test series in 2016 by a margin of 3-0. Pujara was the highest run-getter, scoring 373 runs across the three games.
Virat Kohli will next be seen in the IND vs NZ 2024 Test series
Team India ace batter Virat Kohli had a decent outing with the bat in hand in the recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh. While his scores of 6 & 17 at the first Test in Chennai were concerning, he managed to bounce back with 47 & 29* as Team India beat Bangladesh 2-0.
Kohli will now be gearing up for the series against New Zealand where the hosts will be aiming to win the three matches and seal their qualification for the third time in the ICC World Test Championship Final. The first Test will be played from October 16 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.