New Delhi: After India beat Australia in the second Test, seasoned batter Cheteshwar Pujara on Sunday revealed that he was very nervous as his entire family was here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium for his 100th Test match but eventually it was a special feeling to hit the winning boundary for the team.
The third day of the second Test saw India give a complete performance to beat Australia by six wickets and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match Test series as well as retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy regardless of results over the final two matches.
“It’s been a great Test match, unfortunately I didn’t get any runs in the first innings, but I knew if I stay for the first 10 minutes I can score. A special feeling, was very nervous as my entire family was there. A special feeling to hit the winning boundary, looking forward to the remaining two Tests,” said Pujara at the post-match presentation.
The 35-year old also mentioned that the team was a bit disappointed at second day’s bowling but they were excellent on Day 3.
“I thought we’ll chase something around 200-250, so we were prepared to go and do that. We were a bit disappointed at yesterday’s bowling, we conceded a bit too many runs, but they were excellent today (the spinners),” he said.
Talking about his sweep shots, Pujara said that he has practiced it a lot, adding that the pitch was not one of the tougher ones to bat one.
“It’s not an ideal shot to play because of the low bounce (speaking about the sweep shot), but I have practiced playing it a lot. I try to use my feet, it’s always better to play in that manner on such turning wickets,” he said.
“Not really (asked if it was one of the tougher wickets to bat on), it’s the initial phase, you need to get the pace of the pitch, some balls spun, some went straight on – once you’re in, after 30-35 balls, once the ball goes soft, you’ll get to a situation where you can play your shots with confidence,” he added.
The right-hander batter also congratulated his Saurashtra team-mates for the Ranji Trophy title.
“Lovely, congrats to all the guys (on Saurashtra’s Ranji triumph), was following the scores until lunch. Great achievement, we’ve been consistent over the last few years and it’s our second title in the last 4 years. So, great work by the guys,” said Pujara.
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