Australia vs India 2018/19: Cheteshwar Pujara has Explored his Batting Down-Under - VVS Laxman

The Australian cricket team did their homework against Virat Kohli pretty well, but they lost track of Cheteshwar Pujara’s brilliance. For the first time in history, India is hours away from their maiden Test series win down-under. Meanwhile, the series will be remembered for the cheeky stump-mic conversations, some fierce, fast bowling and the timeless class of Pujara.

Cheteshwar Pujara in a different zone altogether

The cricketer hit his third ton of the tour and is at the peak of his batting prowess. However, former Indian cricketer, VVS Laxman is well aware of the challenges in Australia and the treatment a visiting side gets on such tours.

Therefore, he was full of praise for the Indian cricketer and spoke highly of him. Though he consumed a lot many deliveries, he looked solid against spin as well.

Pujara’s grit gets tested

Laxman praised Pujara’s grit and determination. The batter had switched gears when it mattered and even went on to bat with the tail at crunch situation.

“Not very often I have seen Pujara play the pull shot, hook shot or the uppercut shot. He is ready to explore more about his batting and situation awareness was impressive.” Laxman told ESPN Cricinfo during a chat.

Meanwhile, Pujara used his feet well and intentionally went down the wicket to negate the effectiveness of Lyon. He was highly successful as well even though Lyon did manage to get his stick on occasion.

The top-order batter faced a total of 1258 deliveries and was at the wicket for 1867 minutes. Though Pujara’s stance or the style of play is nowhere close to being called poetry, he did add a lot of misery for the opponents.

The kind of impact Cheteshwar Pujara had in this series is a rare these days. The Indian management can breathe a sigh of relief. And skipper Kohli will be certain of having a constant in his otherwise unstable playing XI.