Cheteshwar Pujara has not had the best of times of late. The India top-order batsman had a disappointing outing with the bat in the recently concluded one-off Test against Afghanistan.
The right-hander, who has been plying his trade with Yorkshire in county cricket this year, had returned to India for Afghanistan’s inaugural Test. He scored 35 runs in India’s first innings as the debutants folded inside two days at Bengaluru.
With the Test ending much earlier than expected, Pujara jetted back to England to join up with his Yorkshire team-mates for the Royal London One-Day Cup. The India man was then picked in the playing XI for Yorkshire’s semi-final clash against Hampshire on Monday. The right-hander was initially not supposed to play in the clash owing to his India commitments.
However, his unexpected return did not turn out as he would have hoped for after he was dismissed for a duck by Dale Steyn.
Dale Steyn is bowling scorchers 🔥 🔥 🔥
— One-Day Cup (@OneDayCup) June 18, 2018
Cheteshwar Pujara goes for 0 having flown back in specifically for the match
Live ➡️ https://t.co/uYRriTqoHB pic.twitter.com/8GyNfftvsD
Led by a superb 171 by skipper James Vince, Hampshire had amassed a massive total of 348 after being made to bat first by Yorkshire skipper Steven Patterson. In reply, Yorkshire’s top-order failed to fire as the side was ultimately bowled out for just 241 runs.
Pujara, who came to the crease after the dismissal of opening batsman Adam Lyth, lasted just four deliveries before becoming Steyn’s only dismissal of the match.
The India man had no answer to the sharp bounce generated by the Proteas pace ace and could only feather an edge Jimmy Adams at first slip.
It is to be noted that Pujara was having a fine run in the One-Day Cup prior to his return to India for the Afghanistan Test. After disappointing in the first-class matches for Yorkshire, the 30-year-old had put on scores of 82, 73, 101 and 75no to lead the county outfit’s march to the semi-final of the List A competition.
