'Need to remove him' - Twitterati not amused with Cheteshwar Pujara's constant failures
Cheteshwar Pujara was also among those Indian batters who endured failure in the first Test.
Team India has found itself in a spot of bother in the ongoing 1st Test against New Zealand at the Green Park in Kanpur. The Kiwi side has put up a commendable show in unfamiliar conditions and would back themselves to cause an upset here. In reply of India’s first-innings score of 345, the Kiwis slammed 296, restricting India’s lead to 49 runs.
While the home team seemed keen to make a significant addition to their lead in their second innings, the top-order couldn’t come to the party. The hosts suffered a top-order collapse with the likes of Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson breathing fire with the red cherry. In fact, the home team lost their first five wickets with just 51 runs on the board.
Cheteshwar Pujara was also among those Indian batters who endured failure in this Test match. Having scored an 88-ball 26 in the prtevious innings, the 33-year-old opted for the attacking approach in the second innings. He even played some delightful shots and looked all set to play a substantial knock. After all, he has played a lot of cricket in such conditions.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s last Test century was recorded back in January 2019
However, Pujara couldn’t convert his start to a big score and fell prey to Kyle Jamieson for 22. It was a short of length delivery which Pujara edged and wicketkeeper Tom Blundell accepted an easy catch. Fans were not amused with the batter’s yet another failure as they endured their anger in social media. Hailed as the ‘Modern-Day Wall,’ Pujara hasn’t really been at his best in Test matches lately.
While he has played some impressive knocks every now and then, converting start into big scores has been an issue for him. In fact, Pujara’s last Test century was recorded way back in January 2019. Although the team management has stuck with him in this dry patch, the veteran batter doesn’t seem to be living up to the expectations.
As far as the ongoing clash is concerned, India despite the top-order collapse, took their lead above hundred with five wickets in the cabinet. As the track is constantly deteriorating with time, chasing any target in the fourth innings would take some beating. Nevertheless, the hosts should look to set a target of at least 200 as the Kiwis have some quality batters in their ranks.
Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to Cheteshwar Pujara’s failure:
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