ENG vs IND: The Inning was never about ‘Survival’ Rohit Sharma on Pujara’s career defining inning
ENG vs IND: Cheteshwar Pujara scored an unbeaten 91 to keep his team in the match in the third Test at Headingley on Friday, which would give his career a longer run, otherwise his departure seemed almost certain.
Under pressure to defend his place in the team, Pujara added 82 runs with Rohit Sharma and 99 runs with Virat Kohli to take India to 215-2 at the moment.
India are still 139 runs behind, but it was a much better performance as the team had scored only 78 runs in their first innings. India’s opener Rohit Sharma was praising India’s No. He said that whenever Pujara comes out to bat, it is his intention.
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This inning was never about survival: Rohit Sharma
After the day’s play, Rohit Sharma said, ‘Pujara definitely came with the intention of scoring runs and our innings was never about survival.’
“We came with the intention of scoring runs. Pujara clearly showed. He hit a lot of boundaries on loose balls and it showed that he had intention in his batting. He showed that no loose ball will be spared.
According to Rohit, Pujara’s criticism has been an outlier as the team is well aware of his importance.
Rohit said, ‘To be honest, there has been no conversation inside. Talking outside. We know their quality and experience and I don’t think we need to discuss much. If you talk about recent performances, yes he hasn’t scored many runs. But we saw a significant partnership between him and Ajinkya at Lord’s.
Rohit said, the quality of Pujara was always intact-
“Sometimes our memories are short and we need to think about what that player has done over the years. It is not about one or two innings or series.
Rohit admitted that Pujara went through a tough phase, adding that the innings showed his character.
Rohit says, “Of course, lately, the runs have not come, but that does not mean that Pujara’s quality has disappeared. You must have seen today that when you are behind 300 it is not the easiest position.
“And the way he batted, it also showed the character and mindset of a person. Somebody who went everywhere and scored runs.’
‘You are talking about someone who has played 80 Test matches. I don’t think (Pujara) needs to show anything before Test matches.
Rohit said, ‘Yes, there is time to show it all, but during Test matches, there is no time to go into detail about what you are doing and what you want to do as a batsman.’
However, Rohit also admitted that with 139 runs still outstanding, India are still in danger and wants Pujara to bat well on the fourth day as well.
Rohit said, ‘Team work is not done yet. We have some important days ahead, and hopefully keep batting the way he does.
