Watch: Cheteshwar Pujara has an intense net session on the eve of the Lord's Test
Team India stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara had an intense net session on the eve of the second Test, which commences on Thursday at the iconic Lord's cricket ground. The series is currently level at 0-0 after the first Test at Trent Bridge ended in a draw. Both teams will be eager to get off the mark in the series by winning the second Test.
Cheteshwar Pujara finished his preparations for the crucial encounter by having a fruitful net session a day before the match. He shared a mini-clip of his batting session on his official Instagram handle and captioned the post:
"Game ready! Let's go!"
You can watch the story here.
Cheteshwar Pujara is currently going through a lean run of form with the bat. Since the beginning of 2019, he has played 19 Test matches and scored 857 runs at an average of 27.64, with 81 being his highest score in the said period.
Due to Pujara's inconsistency in the past year, pressure has been building on the player in recent times. Talented players are waiting on the bench for opportunities, so Pujara needs to put together a big knock soon to re-establish his position in the playing XI.
I do feel that this series against England is very important for Cheteshwar Pujara: Aakash Chopra
Former Indian opening batsman Aakash Chopra has opined that India's current series against England will be crucial to Cheteshwar Pujara's Test career. Chopra added that Pujara has not scored many runs in the last two years, so he will be under pressure to deliver big runs.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra discussed the constant scrutiny of the batting form of Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara. He said:
"I do feel that this series is more important for Pujara and some importance is there for Rahane as well. Some people are even saying that if Pujara had got out in the last innings, he would have been dropped from the next match and after that the sword would be hanging on Rahane's head."
Chopra added:
"I really hope they are not seeing it like that. Every series is crucial at the international level. It is more for some players because Pujara has not scored a lot of runs in the last two years. He will feel some pressure."