I Don't Think Cheteshwar Pujara Will Be Able To Score Runs Like This Consistently: Harbhajan Singh

Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh doesn’t feel like Cheteshwar Pujara will be able to score runs in a consistent manner the way he scored in Leeds.

In the third Test against England, Pujara shifted his gears as he flowed runs from his bat after a long time and it was much needed for his own sake after the criticism he was getting for playing in a defensive mode.

I never saw this side of  Cheteshwar Pujara before: Harbhajan Singh

Pujara missed his 19th Test hundred after he was dismissed by Ollie Robinson and went without adding to his overnight score of 91.

Harbhajan felt that Pujara was scoring under the pressure and also said that it won’t help him for a long period.

“I never saw this side of Pujara before. It seemed like he was playing those shots under pressure. Even heard that he was told to score at a quicker rate, that he is taking too much time to get runs. He has achieved success because of his style of play, because he makes the ball older, but in England even though the ball is old, it continues to swing,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“It’s different in Australia, there the old ball does not do anything. He was able to score enough runs with the new approach, but I don’t think he will be able to score like this consistently,” he added. 

Cheteshwar Pujara dismissed for 4 against England in the fourth Test

Harbhajan’s words somehow came true as Pujara was once again out for a single-digit score against England in the fourth Test in London. Pujara once again fell to England’s talisman bowler James Anderson, poking an outside edge for Jonny Bairstow to collect a simple catch behind the stumps.

Pujara has aggregated 166 runs from seven innings with an average of 27.67 so far in this series.

Also Read: India vs England 2021: I Don’t Think Cheteshwar Pujara Needs Advice From Other People; He Has Played 80 Plus Tests – Ajit Agarkar