Highlight
Cheteshwar Pujara received the full support of Rahul Dravid.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s recent form has been deplorable.
Golden duck: He scored once in the first Test as well
Following Cheteshwar Pujara’s golden duck dismissal in the first Test in Centurion, India head coach Rahul Dravid offered his support to the young batsman.
Head coach Rahul Dravid backed Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of India’s forthcoming second Test match against South Africa, despite the batsman’s recent slump in form. Dravid remarked that he was not “concerned” or “worried” about Pujara’s current form in a pre-match press conference. After India’s first-innings success in Centurion, Pujara was removed for just a golden duck by AB de Villiers. Lungi Ngidi, who had also taken his wicket in the first innings, took his wicket in the second innings with 16 runs on the board.
When asked if his older players’ form worried him, Dravid said, “The word “concerned” irritates me to no end. At the end of the day, I believe he’s doing the best he can. I can see why he’d like to get on the scoresheet from time to time. If you’re like him, you hold yourself to exceptionally high standards. In the ten years he’s been playing, he’s had a lot of success. So he is aware of the highs and successes that he has had in his life. When he’s had a good run of games and a lot of points in a row like that in the past So it’s evident he wants to do the same thing. He wishes he could do it again and again. Occasionally, it doesn’t work out.”
“It isn’t a matter of becoming alarmed. When you’re in the middle of the order, it might be difficult to bat and difficult to bat in these conditions. Having said that, it’s always good if one of your top three or four players can turn a little lead into a big one.”
In Rahul’s 100, we observed its worth.
Despite a lackluster performance by the older batsmen, India prevailed by 113 runs with KL Rahul’s superb century. In the first inning, he smashed 123 runs off 260 balls, propelling his team to a total of 327.
The Proteas could only muster 197 runs in response to India’s first-innings total.
After scoring 174 runs in their second innings, the visitors set South Africa a target of 305 runs, which they were unable to meet and could only muster 191.
The second Test, slated to begin on January 3, will be Pujara’s chance to regain his form. As a result, the Indian national team’s administration must be expecting the same. Dravid also said that Pujara might be a game-changer for India if he gets his feet.
“I think it would be amazing if Pujara could accomplish that because it sets the team up extremely well. Most of the time, when he does that, India wins or we place ourselves in a great position to win those games, as we are aware “He went on to say that he was.
