Poetry comes in many guises, as does the gentleman’s game. And for both it can take generations to unearth someone able to mesmerise with their magnificence, win hearts with elegant strokes and a flowing, easy technique technique.
Cheteshwar Pujara, however, is no William Wordsworth. He isn’t the easiest on the eye, but watching his bat slowly prodding in front of his pad you realise he is a poet all the same.
Pujara’s has more been a story of perseverance and hard work. It took him six years of first-class cricket, a triple century and two double tons to earn a Test cap. While his contemporaries earned the national call-up courtesy of one-day form, Pujara maintained his fight in the longest format by churning out run after run.
THE MUCH AWAITED DEBUT
Pujara’s moment finally arrived in the second Test of Australia’s 2010 tour to India at Bangalore when veteran VVS Laxman was sidelined with a back injury. Having won the first Test, India were buoyant, prompting them to promote Pujara to number three in their bid to chase a 200 plus score in the fourth innings, on a tricky surface.
If a first innings failure was not enough, the burden of walking out in Rahul Dravid’s regular slot was expected to overwhelm Pujara. The 22-year-old, however, looked at home as he drove his third delivery from Mitchell Johnson to the cover boundary.
Pujara had not been a part of India’s sensational rise to the top of the ICC Test rankings, but he was now shouldering the responsibility of maintaining their position at number one.
Coming to the crease in just the third over, after Virender Sehwag’s departure, Pujara was calmness personified. In more ways than one, his attitude and temperament mirrored Dravid’s.
BUILDING HIS INNINGS
Pujara stitched together a partnership with Sachin Tendulkar
As a predominantly bottom-handed player, Pujara breezed to double figures, with boundaries off the Australian quicks. With Nathan Hauritz into the attack, he settled on dancing down the wicket every now and then, negating the sharp turn. He guided the spinner to long-on, to mid-off and through extra-cover with aplomb.
Not resembling a cricketer playing his first international match, Pujara’s aura was that of an old war horse. His maturity in the middle spoke volumes of his confidence.
The young Saurashtra batsman played with caution and eased at deliveries after lunch as Australia looked to halt the brisk run-rate. But this was precisely what Pujara was best at. The discipline and dedication that had made him a nemesis for domestic bowlers was transferring onto the international stage.
Murali Vijay fell after a 72-run partnership, as Pujara was joined at the crease by Sachin Tendulkar. He pulled Johnson well, tackled Ben Hilfenhaus’ swing and respected Peter George’s accuracy. A third of his runs came off Hauritz at a strike-rate of 131.57.
THE HEARTBREAK
With every passing over, Pujara grew more solid, more resilient, and more authoritative than before. But as he looked to convert his half-century into three figures, Hauritz got the better of him and Pujara was trudging back to the pavillion for 72, his team 61 runs away from victory.
Tendulkar and Dravid saw off the target, India’s win largely secured by Pujara’s knock.
With the conclusion of the match, India completed only their third clean sweep in a series of two or more Tests (excluding series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), while Australia received their first such humiliation in almost 30 years. As for Pujara, he jumped off the radar in 2011 owing to an injury, but returned stronger the following year and went on to claim the honour of ICC Emerging Player in 2013.
