sensible-indian

Pujara got to face far harder pitches.. Plus he faced Prime swann panesar (a combo that most of the others never faced that too on tough tracks) Lyon on brutal pitches across multiple series O keefe type bowlers too who may not last long but they can wreak havoc on pitches. Plus the SA series pitches ..the kind of pitchws where the 2000s team would collapse even to Clarke, Afridi, etc (it happens to even the best). Had Pujara played on 2000s featherbeds, his numbers would be insane. Sure a Steyn or Mcgrath will get him a couple of times but on featherbeds he will get to pile on so many runs. This is the same Pujara who DESTROYED an ATG aussie attack in 2018 in a way done by no other Indian bat. Then came back again in 2020...clearly struggling and still managed to blunt them to the point where others could go for it. Imagine what he would do to hapless bowlers on a 2000s featherbed.

All the others averaged 60, playing on relatively far more flatter pitches than Pujara. Add in Pujaras ability to grit it out and score the toughest runs with the match and series on the line... He was something else. Prime Pujara and Smith had the quality in them that was sooo different to others.

I disagree. Until 2019 Pujara averaged 60 at home. Same as all other legends. But the impact of his runs were way way higher. Only thing you can hold against Pujara is he didnt last super long cos his knees gave out. But when he was good, he was the best.

Yes

Pujara > Sehwag in Asian pitches I know Sehwag had the most incredible SR and was an alien on Asian pitches but when it comes to scoring crucial runs no matter what the condition and absolutely getting the job done, Pujara is ahead for me. I know its an unpopular opinion but I have given it a lot of thought and I stand by it. I would have both in my all time Asian XI.

That was the sad part. Or else his legacy would have been something else. Prime Smith...prime Pujara are a different breed of batsmen. Stats (as good as they may be) dont do justice to their true impact.

Siraj would be chased out of the ground by Goenka

I am talking in general. Not this match. Pujaras body of work on all kinds of turners in Asia is immense. No one from this era comes close.

Haha. Ab toh koi bhi chalega. Even before he declined, you could see sooo many comments about how slow he was, how defensive he was, etc, etc. Remember the Kohli Shastri criticism of Pujara in 2016 WI tour.. Reg intent... Kohli Shastri werent wrong per se but that style never suited Pujara and he did it his own way.

Yes. Not only is it a skill issue but also mentality issue. Jaiswal and Pant are fabulous bats. If they wanted, they could have easily won us this series. But they chose to throw it away and there was no one else to clean up the mess. The rest...the less said the better. Meanwhile Pujara on his last legs... "The pitch had variable bounce, from one end the ball was not rising much, and at times rising a bit more than what I was expecting. It was becoming very difficult to defend those balls with the bat. There was an option to defend with the bat, but I felt that was not a safe option," revealed Pujara explaining why he chose to take the body blows - 11 of them precisely from the Aus quicks, "Because if the ball hits your gloves it could go to short leg, slips, gully, or I could get caught behind. So, I wanted to rule that option out and that is why I was taking the blows to the body. Getting hit on the helmet was not ideal, but I was not worried about it and the there reason for it I knew as long as I am there and not getting out, that's fine". --- Sometimes its all about eliminating needless risks. Bazball and all this aggressive nautanki works as long as you play cricketing shots and know when yo attack and when to defend Sometimes, the best way forward js to eliminate all risks. What should have been Indias today turned into NZs day in 10 mins. ADVERTISEMENT

Pujara used to get abused a lot here. Always found that funny. Ab bhugto. Pujara was the greatest batsman i have seen play in Asian pitches. His body of work is immense. Current Indians bats can only dream of the knocks he has played.

Yes. Ab chalta hoon.

2 replies for each of my replies.. One immediately. One after thinking. But but but I am riled up and I am delusional. I agree with you brother.

Yes...its my delusion that Siraj started sucking even before his political nautanki.

Hehe. Got riled up? He started sucking even before this lol.

I agree with you. He is hanging out with Muslims thats why he sucks. Look at Jaddu. Hung out with BJP Hindus (that too the right kind of Hindus). He is the best AR of this generation. You are the product of the people who surround you. Needs to meet Madhavi Latha asap.

Yes. Very important thing to note. Thats exactly why he is not bowling well. If he was hobnobbing with Madhavi Latha he would have ripped through NZ batting by now.

First rohit sharma needs to be dropped. Whats the use of dropping Siraj? Rohit will replace him with another blunder. The worst captain i have seen alongside KL.

Fans like to abuse players like Pujara but take him out and we would have lost so many series without him. With bazball crashing and burnin..and Indian intent merchants flopping hard....I am hoping better sense prevails and we go back to classical test match batting. Pant and Sehwag will be anomalies. Overall, SRs will increase from previous era but smashing your way out of every situation is NEVER gonna work. Even in 2016 NZ tour where we whitewashed them, we had tense moments in the first and second test. But players weathered the storm and made merry. This lineup can't do anything.

We missed gritty batsmen like Pre 2015 Vijay Pre-2019 Pujara Saha (very under-rated player who performs when the chips are down) 2018-19 Mayank 2022 Iyer 2024 Jurel Heck, even if Pant had stayed on for a bit in the first innings, the game would have swung wide open. That's what grates me. This was an easy win squandered. First test was a fiasco after 46 all out tho. Even that could have been salvaged had we not been stupid in both innings but thats another story.

True... But the problem is Rohit and Kohli occupy critical spots in a young lineup. If they were one amongst a settled lineup, it wouldn't have been an issue. Look at the lineup apart from them: Gill - This guy is super unreliable when it swings or spins. Sarfraz - Newbie and unproven Washington - Just came to the side Pant - Solid bat - sadly threw away his wicket both innings - a habit for him at times Jaiswal - Solid bat So technically, Rohit and Kohli's lack of performance leaves us with only 2 reliable bats and one amongst them can throw his wicket away anytime. With our lower order failing to do well... No wonder clinical NZ breached the fortress.

I agree with that. But he has to have informed BCCI before taking on the role that seniors are not out of dangerzone if they don't perform. I think he had a deal with BCCI that if India doesn't win 2025 CT, then seniors will have to retire... But not sure if any such plan was discussed for the test team. Plus its important to discuss what happens if our seniors performance falls off the cliff.... These things can be done before taking up the role... Time will tell how it plays out

So Gambo knew this and chose this job. So he shall receive the brickbats. Not like Gambo needed the monay. If I remember correctly, Shastri told BCCI he won't take the job unless Arun is accepted as the bowling coach.

It is the job of management to give selectors the power. So we need to abuse BCCI honestly. If we have to depend on players to retire themselves, good luck. They won't.

Doesn't negate the point I made. A tight spinner is needed no matter what.