England vs India 2018, 4th Test: Cheteshwar Pujara Credits Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah For His Ton
Updated - 01 Sep 2018, 06:36 PM
Cheteshwar Pujara, who was the backbone of India on day two of the fourth Test against England credited tailenders; Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah for his magnificent hundred in Southampton.
Meanwhile, Pujara remained unbeaten on 132 runs as the visitors took a vital 27-run lead. Pujara was the mainstay during India’s reply and batted brilliantly to bring his first century in England.
However, the hosts fought back well with the ball in the afternoon and evening session respectively.
Pujara added 81-run with Virat Kohli, but Moeen Ali’s heroics saw India reeling at 195 for eight. Pujara was well short of his century as he began to steady the innings along with the tails. He paired with Ishant Sharma to add 32 crucial runs before adding another 46 runs with Jasprit Bumrah. As a result, India took a vital lead against the hosts.
Speaking on the same line, Pujara credited his hundred to his teammates while talking to Sky Sports ahead of the third day.
“I’m a bit sore but it’s a good feeling, the way things went yesterday. I’m really pleased and it was much needed. Credit goes to Ishant and Bumrah because they hung around, which allowed me to score some runs,” Pujara said.
I believed in my preparations:
The one drop batsmen admitted he had the self-belief and knew he was striking the ball well. He also revealed that he was confident despite runs not coming his way.
“I wanted to score some runs for Yorkshire at the start of the season, which didn’t happen but I always knew the way I was batting well. Even though the runs didn’t come through, I was still confident and it showed here. My preparation was good, I believe in preparation and if you put in the effort in the nets and you have self-belief you can always pull something off,” Cheteshwar Pujara concluded.
