IND vs SA| I think it was a tough pitch but things worked out eventually, says Cheteshwar Pujara
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India set South Africa a target of 395 on Day 4 of the Vizag Test and Cheteshwar Pujara has revealed that it was a difficult pitch to bat on, lauding his partner Rohit Sharma who helped him out. Pujara, who played a great knock scoring 81 runs, built a 169 run partnership with Rohit.
Rohit Sharma scored his second ton of the match as India set a formidable 395-run target for South Africa on Day 4 of the Vizag Test. Ravindra Jadeja provided an early breakthrough, getting rid of Dean Elgar for 2, leaving the Proteas 11/1 at stumps. After taking a 71-run lead into Day 4, Rohit and Pujara batted beautifully in the first and second session after Mayank Agarwal's early departure. Pujara, who scored 81 runs, also played a good hand as the duo added 169 runs.Â
“Yes, I think it was a tough pitch. I was finding it difficult to rotate the strike early. Once I was in, I knew I could accelerate. We wanted to put up a decent total by tea. Things worked out in my favour and Rohit batted really well so that helped me,” Pujara was quoted saying at the press conference, reported Cricbuzz.
Pujara believes it was the drinks break after which his intent towards the game changed as he was still getting used to the pitch and judging which shots he had to play.
“I think it was the intent that changed after the drinks break. I knew early on I have to get used to the pace and bounce and once I knew that I knew what kind of shots to play on the pitch. It was slower and it wasn't easy to play my shots but I knew my impact point had to change in my shots,” he said.
Pujara has showcased his versatility in the limited-overs formats too, scoring a massive 346 runs at an average of 116 in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup, prevailing as the highest run-getter. However, due to lack of performances in white-ball cricket and thanks to his reputation as an exclusive Test player, he was never given an extended run in the Indian ODI fold.
“Sometimes just playing one format affects you, but that allowed me work on my fitness and fielding, and I think that worked out well for me. Just have to take it in your stride. You need to get back to form ASAP when you play just one format. I got a couple of good balls in WI and it had to be accepted. Failure makes you a better batsman and I knew I was just one knock away from getting back into form,” said Pujara, who has played 71 Tests and 5 ODIs for India.
The Proteas have a target of 395 to chase on the final day of the Test. Aiden Markram and Theunis de Bruyn were unbeaten at the crease when umpires decided to end the proceedings on Day 4 due to bad light. Pujara feels it is a difficult target to chase as batting will not be easy on the two-paced pitch.
“I think there are enough runs on the board and we have 98 overs. Its still a tough pitch to bat on and it's never easy to play on a two-paced pitch. It'll spin out of the rough a lot on Day 5 so batting will certainly not be easy. I've been working a lot on my fitness and I have started recovering quite well,” he concluded.
