Cheteshwar Pujara recalls a 'wheelchair' comment made by an Aussie in 2017

Cheteshwar Pujara was India’s key player during the Test series Down Under last December. He was instrumental in India’s 3-1 overseas series victory against the Aussies. He smashed the Australian bowlers and crossed every hurdle that came between him and his way to his hundreds. Pujara frustrated the hosts with his stern disposition which paved the way for Nathan Lyon making a comment asking if he was bored. Recently India’s number three disclosed that it wasn’t the first time that he faced sledging by the Aussies.

Pujara’s scores of 123, 71, 24, 4, 106 and 193 speak for themselves as the key to India’s historic Test series victory down under. He batted for hours and stood like a wall while he scored 193 in the fourth and final Test, in Sydney. It was then that Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon passed comment on him. Lyon asked, “Aren’t you bored yet?”. Pujara’s response was a smile following which he shifted his concentration back to his batting.

And that’s how the monumental 193 in Sydney came about. But it wasn’t the first time that the Aussies were baffled with Pujara’s unyielding grit.

The incident in 2017

Reminiscing an incident from 2017, Cheteshwar Pujara revealed that Nathan Lyon was on to him during Australia‘s tour of India. During the Ranchi Test, wherein Pujara was punishing the Australian bowling, Lyon had made an unanticipated comment. He admits that Lyon’s comment in 2017 was even funnier than his “Aren’t you bored yet?” remark.

“I never thought that he’ll say such a thing. And then when we were playing against Australia in the third Test in Ranchi in 2017, one of the players came and told me ‘Now if you don’t get out, we’ll have to ask for wheelchairs.’ I was batting on 170-plus. That’s the best sledge I remember from an Aussie player,” Pujara told the Times of India.

“There were many instances but I remember the first Test. Nathan Lyon and Tim Paine tried to sledge me. They almost felt that the game was over when we were 40 for four, they thought that we’ll be bowled out for 150-160. And even later on, I think in the third or fourth Test, they were trying to sledge me but at the same time, they started laughing in the end. Lyon came and told me: ‘Aren’t you bored of batting now? You’ve scored so many runs'” he said.

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