Throw brickbats and bumpers at Cheteshwar Pujara and he simply ducks the entire session. The current Indian wall battled spicy bouncers from Pat Cummins, one of them hitting his head and needing some concussion assistance on Tuesday. With cracks opening at the Gabba on Day 5 of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the most unpredictable of the bounces and turns were seen in Brisbane.
Brutal Bowling By Pat Cummins At Its Best
Cheteshwar Pujara, who recorded his slowest half-century in Test cricket, getting to the fifty run mark in 196 balls, saw a hit on the helmet that called for physio help.
In attempting to duck the fifth ball of the 33rd over, but the ball clipped the back of his helmet. The right-handed batsman needed a checkup from the team physio. Pujara continued batting after the mandatory concussion protocol test as India chase a 328-run target for an improbable win at The Gabba, Brisbane.
Pujara – What a warrior ?? pic.twitter.com/o4uAkmcE6v
— rizwan (@rizwan68301915) January 19, 2021
It was only earlier that Cheteshwar Pujara had survived a very close leg before wicket call against Nathan Lyon where whispers said he hadn’t offered a shot. The impact – depending on the umpire’s call – issued the decision in Pujara’s favour.
With swinging the old, worn off-ball a difficult task and it reminded us of the game Team India lost. The Aussie pacers opted to bump hard. The likes of Pat Cummins kept hitting the short length and troubling Pujara above the shoulder. Some balls the batsman managed to let go but some hit his body.
“Australian team reeks of desperation …. a full-strength team can’t get Indian second rung team out. So when all else fails, they go for body line bowling and try to get the opposition injured … #desparateattempts #INDvsAUS,” a Twitter user posted.
What Next For Cheteshwar Pujara And Co.?
With mere 124 runs needed in the final session, seven wickets intact, all four results were possible. That was as Pujara and Pant stitched a 50 run partnership. The duo keeping away from the bouncers and balls at the off-stump slashed whatever loose was offered. Their first loss at Gabba since 1988 in the air made the Australian’s desperate with every possible ball. On the other hand, the Indian camp – a little more composed– took their fair shot at a victory.
Earlier in the day, it was opener Shubman Gill’s 91 runs’ knock off 146 balls kept India in the game. Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the ninth over by Cummins, as he managed only seven runs. Ajinkya Rahane played a 24 run hand before Pat Cummins got the better of him.
The game has switched in Team India’s favour at present. They barely need to score any runs with quite a few overs left. There are still quite a few overs left in the match. Whether they are able to do that now or not, remains to be seen. One thing is clear for sure that the team has real talents who can take them across the finish line, with Cheteshwar Pujara once again leading from the front.
