Ind vs Aus: Australia Is a Fighting Team, I Enjoy That Kind of Battle, Says Cheteshwar Pujara

The day is near for the commencement of the Ind vs Aus series. While most of the fans might be curious to see Kohli return to form in Tests too, one cannot forget Cheteshwar Pujara. Team India’s new “the wall” is ready to face the Australian bowlers. Over the years Cheteshwar Pujara has provided the team with great support in the middle order and has only got better at his craft. After scoring a ton versus Bangladesh in 2022, his first test century since 2019 which he scored during the Ind vs Aus series at Sydney, he will look forward to amassing some runs at home.

However, the battle between the middle-order batsman and the Australian bowlers won’t be easy. Two of the main Aussie bowlers have an edge over Cheteshwar Pujara. Australian captain Pat Cummins has dismissed the batsman 7 times and Nathan Lyon 10 has taken his wickets on 10 occasions. Before the start of the Ind vs Aus test series, Pujara in an exclusive interview with Times of India discussed the difficulties in facing Cummins and Lyon.

You need to figure out your ways to counter them: Cheteshwar Pujara

“They have experience. They understand their strengths very well. The main battle against them is always in Australia. Not to forget they are great and have equally done well in India, but my important battles against them have always been in Australia. That’s something you need to do a lot of preparation for, as a batsman, you need to figure out your ways to counter them,” Cheteshwar Pujara said. He further added that just like facing Dale Steyn and James Anderson at their home grounds is difficult, similar is the situation with Pat Cummins.

Discussing his conservative batting approach, the batsman accepted that he takes his time to access the pitch, and settle himself well before hitting boundaries. “There are times you are batting well and runs start flowing and there are times you going through a difficult phase in your career. So, you’ve to take time before playing your shots. The important thing in Test cricket is if you’re at the crease, you will eventually score runs,” he added.

India begins their final series of the World Test Championship cycle 2021-2023 without a few big names. Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah are not part of the Ind vs Aus series. A victory in this series will have India facing Australia later this year in England for the World Test Championship finals. In 2021, under the leadership of Virat Kohli the men in blue reached the finals but couldn’t lift the trophy.