Mohinder Amarnath questions Cheteshwar Pujara’s excessively defensive batting

Indian Test No.3 Cheteshwar Pujara’s obsessive inclination for blocking deliveries and trying to defend his way out of troubles hasn’t got him the expected results and thus under scrutiny. While this kind of temperament and technique is a traditional approach and considered an attribute in Test cricket, some experts argue that the top-order batsman is too defensive and blocks way too many deliveries to build excessive pressure on himself.

Former India cricketer Mohinder Amarnath too has joined this debate and has questioned Pujara’s batting style. While appreciating his technique which is in line with the demands of Test cricket, Amarnath feels that obstructing too many deliveries and not converting them into runs only helps the bowlers to get better of the batsman mentally.

“The pre-determined movement to the front foot and the inability to play with soft hands are conspiring to create a situation where the batsmen are prodding at the ball. The other problem is excessive defence,” Amarnath wrote in his column for the Times of India.

“Cheteshwar Pujara, for instance, has sound technique which helps him occupy the crease for long. However, he tends to stop scoring and if a wicket falls at the other end, the scoreboard looks dismal, putting further pressure on the incoming batsman. A reluctance to rotate strike among the batsmen yields advantage to the bowlers,” the 67-year-old added.

County exploits

Pujara travelled to England and was a part of the Yorkshire squad for the county matches as well as the One-Day cup. He struggled to get going and more often than not bowlers found a way to breach past his ‘defences’. He was bowled twice in two matches by Dale Steyn who got the ball to come back into the right-hander and exposed the gap between his bat and pads. Thus when the Indian team management sat down to pick the XI for the opening Test, he was ignored.

When the Indian top order failed to produce a substantial performance in the opening match, he was once again brought in for the Lord’s Test. The 30-year-old was involved in an unfortunate run out with skipper Virat Kohli in the first innings and played 87 deliveries for his 17 runs in the second but couldn’t hang on for long enough to make an impact on the game. Despite a career average just under 50, Pujara hasn’t quite made it count in overseas Tests.

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