Has the new Wall of India been found in the name of Cheteshwar Pujara. He is showing the same consistency Levels of Rahul Dravid. Read More...
Slam bang cricket seems to be the order of the day. Cricket is becoming more and more about runs scored rather than there being any takers for technique and when technique is making way for flamboyance there obviously is a propensity to have public idols from among those who have survived despite having thrown caution to the winds. In the world of cricket, fiveday cricket made room for the One Day Internationals, which in turn lost their glamour to T20 and we now even have some competitions in ten over a side.
However, far from the world of slam bang cricket but standing tall among the ruins of five-day cricket is a single name India’s very own Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara.
The departure of Rahul Dravid, nicknamed as The Wall, due to his staying power at the crease, seemed to signal a big void at the number three position of India’s Test batting order. Pujara has now proved more than once that in him India has found the ideal replacement for Dravid in the Test batting order. Rahul’s contribution to the Indian team and Indian cricket deserves adulations for several other reasons; however, Pujara seems to be his ideal replacement for at least a single reason mentioned above. As a matter of sheer coincidence, even statistics seems to agree with this view. Playing for India, both these batsmen reached the 3,000-run carer aggregate in 67 innings, the 4,000 mark in 84 innings and the 5,000 mark in 108 Test innings.
A talent like that of Cheteshwar Pujara needs serious contemplation to be given his right due. During the 2014-15 Australian series when Dhoni’s sudden announcement to retire from Test cricket came like a bolt from the blue and Virat Kohli was given the captain’s mantle, the latter refused to include Pujara and karthik in the Test team on his thinking that Pujara was too slow. Four years later Virat’s growing experience has brought about a 180-degree change in his thinking and history has been created with India’s first-ever Test Series victory against Australia, in Australia with Pujara as the man behind the miracle. There isn’t a shade of doubt that without the Man of the Series, the final script of the series would have been very different.
The last series against the Australians who over the years have been so notorious for sledging evoked responses from then that had been dyed with sobriety. Nathan Lyon who was creating huge inroads into the Indian innings could only respond by asking Pujara whether he never got bored batting. After all, what else could one ask a batsman who faced 1,258 balls during the four Test Series; more than twice the number of balls faced by any other batman from either team and the most balls faced ever by any Indian batsman in a four Test Series outside Asia. The last two words are important because while the Asian pitches are not that pace friendly, conditions outside Asia are more amicable to either swing or bounce the main weapons of any medium or fast pace bowler. In the context, the statement of the Australian coach, Justin Langar, after the series projects the true worth of Pujara’s performance who is recorded to have stated that it was Pujara who fatigued the Australian pace men and blunted their attack. Succinctly, Pujara’s 521 runs in the series with three centuries were far more valuable than their numerical worth as they helped the other batmen of his team score more runs against a fatigued Australian attack.
Born at Rajkot on 25 January 1988, Cheteshwar has cricket in his blood. His father Arvind having played for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy as did his uncle, Bipin Pujara. Learning to bat under the guidance of his father, Cheteshwar was unfortunate to have lost his mother as a teenager. Such misfortunes definitely call for sympathy but they, on the other hand, prompt one to be hardened to face the vagaries of life and cricket too is an inclusive part of any cricketer’s life.
Time and again, Pujara seems to give out signals that he is not the man for limited over cricket. However, it is a different scenario when it is about four or five-day cricket. In 2013, Pujara became the first Indian batsman to score more than 2,000 runs in first class cricket and become very popular amongst cricket fans. He is also the only cricketer to have scored three triple hundreds in first class cricket within a period of one month. After Vinod Kambli, he is the second-fastest Indian to score 1,000 runs in Test cricket. He is only the third Indian to have batted on all five days of any Test match and in terms of the number of balls faced has played the longest Test innings played by any Indian batsman (525 balls).
With tournaments like the Indian Premier League pumping in money for the cricketers, cricketers like Pujara may never get the cream topping of the cake but when the Test record books are opened, his name will definitely figure among the legends of the game. Pujara has been named as the Rock, perhaps because the name of The Wall had already been assigned to Rahul Dravid but it would not be out of place to term Pujara as The New Wall of Indian cricket. On winning the Super Heavy Weight boxing title while referring to Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson is said to have remarked, “He is the greatest but I am the latest.” In cricket parlance, when referring to the Wall of Indian cricket, it would not be out of place to compare Muhammad Ali with Rahul Dravid and Mike Tyson with the impregnable Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara.
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However, far from the world of slam bang cricket but standing tall among the ruins of five-day cricket is a single name India’s very own Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara.
The departure of Rahul Dravid, nicknamed as The Wall, due to his staying power at the crease, seemed to signal a big void at the number three position of India’s Test batting order. Pujara has now proved more than once that in him India has found the ideal replacement for Dravid in the Test batting order. Rahul’s contribution to the Indian team and Indian cricket deserves adulations for several other reasons; however, Pujara seems to be his ideal replacement for at least a single reason mentioned above. As a matter of sheer coincidence, even statistics seems to agree with this view. Playing for India, both these batsmen reached the 3,000-run carer aggregate in 67 innings, the 4,000 mark in 84 innings and the 5,000 mark in 108 Test innings.
A talent like that of Cheteshwar Pujara needs serious contemplation to be given his right due. During the 2014-15 Australian series when Dhoni’s sudden announcement to retire from Test cricket came like a bolt from the blue and Virat Kohli was given the captain’s mantle, the latter refused to include Pujara and karthik in the Test team on his thinking that Pujara was too slow. Four years later Virat’s growing experience has brought about a 180-degree change in his thinking and history has been created with India’s first-ever Test Series victory against Australia, in Australia with Pujara as the man behind the miracle. There isn’t a shade of doubt that without the Man of the Series, the final script of the series would have been very different.
The last series against the Australians who over the years have been so notorious for sledging evoked responses from then that had been dyed with sobriety. Nathan Lyon who was creating huge inroads into the Indian innings could only respond by asking Pujara whether he never got bored batting. After all, what else could one ask a batsman who faced 1,258 balls during the four Test Series; more than twice the number of balls faced by any other batman from either team and the most balls faced ever by any Indian batsman in a four Test Series outside Asia. The last two words are important because while the Asian pitches are not that pace friendly, conditions outside Asia are more amicable to either swing or bounce the main weapons of any medium or fast pace bowler. In the context, the statement of the Australian coach, Justin Langar, after the series projects the true worth of Pujara’s performance who is recorded to have stated that it was Pujara who fatigued the Australian pace men and blunted their attack. Succinctly, Pujara’s 521 runs in the series with three centuries were far more valuable than their numerical worth as they helped the other batmen of his team score more runs against a fatigued Australian attack.
Born at Rajkot on 25 January 1988, Cheteshwar has cricket in his blood. His father Arvind having played for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy as did his uncle, Bipin Pujara. Learning to bat under the guidance of his father, Cheteshwar was unfortunate to have lost his mother as a teenager. Such misfortunes definitely call for sympathy but they, on the other hand, prompt one to be hardened to face the vagaries of life and cricket too is an inclusive part of any cricketer’s life.
Time and again, Pujara seems to give out signals that he is not the man for limited over cricket. However, it is a different scenario when it is about four or five-day cricket. In 2013, Pujara became the first Indian batsman to score more than 2,000 runs in first class cricket and become very popular amongst cricket fans. He is also the only cricketer to have scored three triple hundreds in first class cricket within a period of one month. After Vinod Kambli, he is the second-fastest Indian to score 1,000 runs in Test cricket. He is only the third Indian to have batted on all five days of any Test match and in terms of the number of balls faced has played the longest Test innings played by any Indian batsman (525 balls).
With tournaments like the Indian Premier League pumping in money for the cricketers, cricketers like Pujara may never get the cream topping of the cake but when the Test record books are opened, his name will definitely figure among the legends of the game. Pujara has been named as the Rock, perhaps because the name of The Wall had already been assigned to Rahul Dravid but it would not be out of place to term Pujara as The New Wall of Indian cricket. On winning the Super Heavy Weight boxing title while referring to Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson is said to have remarked, “He is the greatest but I am the latest.” In cricket parlance, when referring to the Wall of Indian cricket, it would not be out of place to compare Muhammad Ali with Rahul Dravid and Mike Tyson with the impregnable Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara.
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