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Headingley Test, Day 3: Cheteshwar Pujara moved up a gear and so did India
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It was overcast, it was cold, the ball was swinging, England’s pacers were in their element and India had their backs to the wall. On most days, these would be the required conditions for Cheteshwar Pujara to go into a shell and play one of his incredible defensive innings; the kind that only he and no one else can play. On most days. But on Friday, the right-hander’s intent seemed to first shock the hosts and then push Virat Kohli and Co to a new level in the third Test.
Day 3 report: Cheteshwar Pujara leads India’s fightback with the bat at Headingley
Coming into the second innings, Pujara would have been under immense pressure. There were murmurs, not for the first time in his career, about his place in the side. The chatter just wasn’t about him though. In recent times, India’s No 3-4-5 have struggled to score runs and that has at times led to this batting line-up, as we saw in the first innings, simply collapse the way hollowed-out wood does sometimes.
It all started with England bowling a bit too straight — they probably think Pujara is a bowled or an LBW candidate. But in trying to do so, they fed him…