Cool India No. 3, who is known to demoralise opposition with his batting, is now showing his aggressive side and has become an active voice on the field
Cheteshwar Pujara speaks to Virat Kohli during a training session at Adelaide in 2014. Pic/Getty Images
Ranchi: During the action-packed fourth day of the second Test in Bangalore, David Warner worked a Ravichandran Ashwin delivery off his pads through the leg side. The ball thudded into Cheteshwar Pujara's leg-guards at short-leg and came to a halt. Pujara quickly picked it up and tried to throw down the stumps with a gentle under-arm throw, which Warner blocked with his feet. To Warner's surprise, and everyone that saw it, Pujara turned around and appealed for obstruction.
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For all those who have seen Pujara since his Test debut seven years ago, this was the most out-of-the-ordinary incident involving the India No. 3. He followed this up with a video on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) website where he revealed how he filled Warner's ears every time the Aussie opener came out to bat and how Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed him nine times in Tests.
Putting Oz under pressure
"They were always under pressure when they walked into bat especially Warner. Whenever he walked in to bat, Ash was always happy. And I kept reminding Warner that Ash was the one," Pujara said in the video.
Pujara was also the first man to come in and stand behind Team India skipper Virat Kohli when Steve Smith was seen looking towards the dressing room during the DRS controversy in Bangalore.
All of these aspects are unlike Pujara the world knows. He is supposed to be the man who demoralises the opposition with his dogged resistance while batting. He is not supposed to be indulging in sledging. He is generally very quiet, soft-spoken and mild natured individual who mostly goes unnoticed if he is not batting. But he is as crucial to India's scheme of things as Kohli himself.
In this home season, Pujara is the only other batsman, after Kohli, who has amassed over 1000 runs. Pujara has slowly transformed himself from just a run machine to an aggressive player.
Getting assertive
He has now learnt to assert himself on the opposition. He has realised the sense of responsibility and has become an active voice on the field during discussions between Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane.
The Australians have spent all their energy trying to dismantle Kohli in this series, but Pujara has escaped from their grasp. With the series on the line, the stage is set for Pujara to make his presence felt once again.
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