Cheteshwar Pujara’s knock could cost India the match: Ricky Ponting

India are in dominating position at the MCG, having scored 443 runs in the first innings. Even as Indian captain Virat Kohli scored 82 from 204 balls, Cheteshwar Pujara displayed grit and determination to notch 106 runs from 319 balls with the help of 10 boundaries. He stayed in the middle for over 100 overs and it eventually took a beauty of a delivery from Pat Cummins to dismiss the right-hander.

After Mayank Agarwal was nipped out by Cummins, Pujara put together a stand of 170 with his skipper and helped his team push Tim Paine and Co on the backfoot. In the meantime, Ricky Ponting, the former Australian cricketer somewhat criticised Pujara and said that he doesn’t seem to be concerned about scoring runs. Moreover, Punter also went on to say that the knock may eventually cost India the match.

It’s hard to push along when Pujara’s there

“If India go on and win the game, it’ll be a great innings (but) if they haven’t got time to bowl Australia out twice it could be what actually costs them the game. He’s just made another hundred, his second of the series, so he’s playing well and doesn’t really look like getting out. But he just locks himself in this little bubble where scoring doesn’t seem to faze him at all,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.

“They’ve got other guys in their side who are stroke-makers but if those guys don’t come off, the scoring rate is always going to be hovering around that two runs an over mark, which makes it pretty hard to win Test matches, especially on flat wickets like we might have here. I think it’s always hard for India to push the run rate along when Pujara’s there,” he added.

Pujara, thus far, is the leading run-scorer of the four-match Test series. The Saurashtra-batsman has scored 328 runs in five innings at an impressive average of 65.60. His top score of 123 came in the opening Test at the renowned Adelaide Oval where the visitors won by 31 runs to take an essential 1-0 lead in the series.  The incredible knock also fetched him the Man of the Match award.

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