Cheteshwar Pujara Is Getting Out On Similar Deliveries: Glenn McGrath

Former legendary pacer, Glenn McGrath feels that the Australian bowlers have found a way to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara. In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, Pujara has been dismissed 6 out of 7 times by fast bowlers – 4 by Pat Cummins and twice by Josh Hazlewood.

The right-hander has scored 215 runs in 7 innings at a strike rate of 30 – which is well below his series-winning performance in the same country a couple of years ago; Pujara amassed 521 runs with the help of 3 hundreds and a fifty at a strike rate of 41.

Glenn McGrath points out that Pujara’s dismissals against the fast bowlers have been similarly; the ball pitching on and just outside off-stump, and either swinging a little bit away or straightening taking the edge through to the keeper and fielder behind.

“Pujara is getting out in similar ways but they are all very good deliveries. They will probably get a lot of right-handers out. They are all around the off-stump,” Glenn McGrath told Sony Sports Networks.

If you bowl there, he is not going to score runs: Glenn McGrath

Cheteshwar Pujara’s drop in strike rate indicates the consistency of the Aussie bowlers. Glenn McGrath, who scalped over 900 international wickets, opines that the pacers have tied Pujara down by not giving away too many loose deliveries.

The 50-year-old recalls the hosts saying that they have planned well against India’s number 3, that they have studied Pujara’s vulnerabilities – and have done well to restrict the right-hander from scoring big runs.

“He is (allowing bowlers to bowl there consistently). He is not going to hurt you. If you bowl there, he is not going to score runs. So you can just sit there all day and he will just bat all day and he won’t hurt you. And one just does a bit more and he will be out. The bowlers have to be consistent and have to be patient and get that ball in that right area,” Glenn McGrath added.

“I think the Australian team has identified that. They said at the start of the series, that they had plans for Pujara and that back hip comes around, you do square up and probably make those balls look better than they are and I think they have identified something and they have been able to execute the plans and they have got the result they wanted,” the former speedster said.

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