No shame in getting out to good balls but the problem is Pujara is getting too many of them: Aakash Chopra

James Anderson wreaked havoc on Day 2 of the Test match against India by picking up two consecutive wickets. Pujara happened to be his first one as the batter had to walk back to the hut with just four runs to his account. Former India batter Aakash Chopra thus praised Anderson’s delivery that sent back Pujara and also raised his concerns over the struggle of Pujara more so recently.

Pujara hasn’t had a very good patch in recent times and isn’t able to hold the fort for the team. Considering his defensive techniques he is a pivotal player for the side as hopes are pinned on him for staying in there and running the game. A good length ball from Anderson cost India his wicket and Chopra feels that though getting out on a good ball is all fine but the number three batter needs to figure out on his game and ponder if he is allowing the opposition to dominate him.

“James Anderson sent back Cheteshwar Pujara with very good delivery. There is no shame in getting out to good deliveries but the problem here is that Pujara is getting too many of them. That is something that will be playing on his mind. Questions like – ‘Why is this happening with me?’ ‘Am I allowing the good balls to happen or is there something like I am just unfortunate?’ That is the question that Pujara has to answer,” Chopra spoke on his YouTube channel.

The wickets of Pujara and Kohli changed the game completely: Aakash Chopra

The Kohli-Anderson battle was a contest that everybody was yearning for but it was short-lived. Anderson scalped the big wicket on the very first delivery and that added to the misery of India. Opening up further on Kohli’s dismissal Chopra pointed that the Indian skipper was leaving the balls outside the off-stump in 2018 but this time it went another way round as he nicked the delivery.

“In 2018, Virat Kohli was not dismissed by Anderson even once. He was leaving balls outside the off-stump but this time he nicked the first delivery behind the stumps to make it two wickets in two balls for Anderson. The wickets of Pujara and Kohli changed the game completely. Both wicket-taking balls were really good. But the ball that got Kohli out was a regulation Test match delivery.” Chopra said