Pink Ball Test: We Are Confident Of Putting Up A Good Show: Cheteshwar Pujara

Champion Indian Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is confident that the home side’s batting-unit will fare well against the English seam-bowling attack in the upcoming pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad.

The last time Team India played a pink ball Day/Night Test, it was the opening game of the four-match series against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.

The game turned out to be an absolute nightmare as the Virat Kohli-led batting-unit was shot out for a mere 36- India’s lowest-ever Test total- in the second innings by the likes of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

With James Anderson and company equally capable of troubling the Indian batsmen with seam and swing, the home side will have their task cut-out if they end up facing the English seam-bowling attacks under lights.

However, Cheteshwar Pujara has downplayed all those fears as he feels that the conditions are completely different here in India as compared to what they encountered in Adelaide where the pink kookaburra ball moved around corners.

“It was a different ballgame altogether. We were playing in Australia, the ball was seaming around a lot and one session of bad batting led to a disaster. Here the ball is different, we will be playing with the SG ball, so we are confident of putting up a good show,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on Saturday after India’s training session.

 

‘It’s a beautiful stadium’- Cheteshwar Pujara on the newly-revamped Motera Stadium

The last time Cheteshwar Pujara played a Test match at Motera, he scored his maiden double-hundred. His innings of 206 came against England in the first Test of the four-match series.

However, Pujara, just like others, will be stepping into the unknown this time around, given the fact that the Sardar Patel Stadium has undergone a complete overhaul.

The newly revamped structure is the biggest cricket stadium in the world in terms of sporting capacity. Pujara said that while the nature of the track is still unknown, he is quite impressed with the newly-renovated stadium. He added that he has fond memories of the venue and that he and his teammates are looking forward to playing at Motera.

“We will come to know about the pitch once we play a game there, but it’s a beautiful stadium. We have had training sessions yesterday and today and all of us are excited at the prospect of playing there. I have fond memories of playing here in 2012,” added Cheteshwar Pujara.

Also Read: India vs England 2021: England More Adept In Countering Seaming Conditions Than India- Zak Crawley