It is a fast-moving, rapidly evolving world that we reside in. While cricket has seen a lot of evolution, Test cricket – the longest format of the game – hasn’t lost its charm, especially among true cricket fans.
Rahul Dravid has been a perfect example of a cardinal paradigm in terms of ‘patience’ in Test cricket. Post his retirement, Cheteshwar Pujara possessed similar kind of skills, along with good composure, and like the Wall of Indian cricket, Pujara, too, could build an innings slowly and steadily brick by brick. There have been times when Pujara conquered physical agony while batting only because of his will to stay on the pitch.
He was the star when India defeated Australia for the first time at Gabba, while at Sydney, Pujara battled hard, staying at the crease for 286 minutes for a match-saving 77. In the second innings at Gabba, he batted 314 minutes for a heroic 56. Often considered as the ‘Modern Wall’ because of his ability and performances, the 33-year-old Pujara currently seems to be out of form while there are calls to replace him in the Indian Test team.
In this piece, we will look at Pujara’s recent performances and stats in Tests.
Analyzing Pujara’s year wise downfall
In 2018, Pujara played 23 innings at an average of 38.04, with three centuries and four half-centuries to his name. In 2019, the batter played 11 innings in which he scored 507 runs at an average of 46.09, including a century and four half-centuries. However, the Indian number three has been poor since then, not scoring a century in more than two years. He averaged 20.37 in 2020 and averages 30.42 so far in 2021.
Pujara’s recent struggles
Pujara managed to score just 23 runs in the World Test Championship Final. In India’s tour to England in August and September, the batter returned scores of 16, 54, 92 and 65 in the four Test matches. With a total of 227 runs at an average of 32.42, Pujara struggled for consistency in England. in the recently concluded first Test against New Zealand, Pujara found rhythm but failed to capitalize on his starts and only managed 48 runs across two innings.
Pujara’s performance under different Captains
Between 2010-2014, Pujara played 46 innings under MS Dhoni. He averaged 47.11 in that period, scoring six centuries and five fifties.
Pujara has played a majority of his matches and scored most of his runs under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. More than half of his career runs (4195 runs) have come under Kohli. His average in this period is 45.59, with 12 centuries and 22 half-centuries.
Under Ajinkya Rahane, Pujara has played 11 innings and has averaged less than 34 with the bat.
Conclusion
Pujara’s performance has been one of the major concerns for Team India. While they have a few selection headaches due to his lack of runs and with the return of Virat Kohli into the team, there’s a need for space to be made in the middle-order, especially considering the players who are waiting to break into the Test team.