VVS Laxman reckons Cheteshwar Pujara’s century drought is a worry for India

Hailed as ‘India’s modern-day wall,’ Cheteshwar Pujara has been far away from his best in the last few years. The right-handed batter, who was known for playing marathon knocks, has been struggling to deliver consistently. Although he gets starts every now and then, Pujara hasn’t scored any Test hundred since his 193 against Australia in January 2019. The same has earned him a lot of criticism.

The right-handed batter has now gone 42 innings with a Test ton as he got out for 47 on Day 3 of the 2nd Test against New Zealand in Mumbai on Sunday (December 5). Having bagged a duck in the first innings, Pujara opened the batting in India’s second innings and looked impressive during his stay at the crease. While he looked all set to record a big score, left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel brought an end to his innings.

With young guns like Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer doing well, many fans and experts have questioned Pujara’s spot in the playing XI. Speaking on the matter, former Indian batter VVS Laxman opined that Pujara failing to convert his starts into a three-figure score is definitely a worry for Team India.

Cheteshwar Pujara getting out in similar fashion: VVS Laxman

“Yes, it’s definitely a worry. Because the batting position Pujara usually bats is No. 3. You usually get a lot more opportunities (to score hundreds) than when you’re batting at No. 5 or No. 6. Also, this is the type of dismissal that we saw quite consistently when India played England,” Laxman told Star Sports.

“Jack Leach got Pujara out 2 or 3 times in this fashion. The way he approached his defensive shot, the angle of the bat, he was not able to cover the turn. On this wicket, it’s important to cover the turn and be behind the line and the angle of the bat was not straight. That’s why the ball was carried to Ross Taylor,” he added.

Laxman also admitted that the constant criticism might also frustrate Pujara. “It’s about people talking about that and it can get frustrating. The quicker you get to the 3-figure mark, then everyone will stop talking and then you can go out and do your business with a very, very free mind,” he added.