'I just have to bat in the manner I know to bat' - Cheteshwar Pujara hits back at critics

India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has hit back at the critics, saying that he needs to bat in the manner he knows. Pujara was the player of the series during India’s historic first Test series win on Australia soil two years ago. The right-handed batsman had finished the series as the highest run-scorer, scoring 521 runs as India won the series 2-1.

However, he is yet to show such form in the ongoing series. After failing to deliver in the first two Tests, he finally scored a fifty on Saturday but is still facing criticism for his ultra-slow approach. He scored his slowest ever fifty in the longest format. Pujara took 174 balls to complete his fifty by taking a single off Josh Hazlewood, surpassing his 173-ball fifty versus South Africa in Johannesburg in 2018.

What made things worse for him was that he was out immediately after scoring his fifty. And once again, he fell to Pat Cummins after the latter made the India No.3 edge a fine delivery behind the stumps. Cummins has now dismissed Pujara four times in the space of 129 deliveries across five innings while giving away just 19 runs.

Cheteshwar Pujara on Pat Cummins and his batting:

While Cheteshwar Pujara is facing criticism for his slow approach, he has made it clear he would continue to bat in the same manner. Pujara also insisted that he was satisfied with the way he was batting on Saturday. The India star was also quick to brush off any suggestions that he struggles against Cummins. He said that the delivery from Cummins that dismissed him was one of the best balls bowled in the ongoing series

“We are trying our best, but sometimes Pat Cummins has a better idea, sometimes he bowled some of the unplayable deliveries, for example, the ball which I got, if there was any other batter, I felt that was the best ball of this series, sometimes you have to accept it, we are trying our best as a batting unit. It is not just about him, it is important to bat well as a unit,” Cheteshwar Pujara said at stumps on Day 3.

“I have got out against him four times but some of them were really good balls, we need to respect that, overall I am confident about my batting, I would rather focus on the things I need to as a batsman rather than put too much pressure on him getting me out. The way I was batting today, I was really confident. The way I got out today, I have to accept that. I could not have done anything better, I would rather focus on the things I need to do as a batsman. I just have to bat in the manner I know to bat, even as a batting unit, you need to build partnerships and bat well as a unit,” he added.