As India hoped to close in on Australia's first innings total, Rohit Sharma's short-lived knock and subsequent gloves-throwing act became the talking point of Day 4. With his current form in question, cricket fans speculated if this was a sign of Rohit's potential retirement from the format. While teammate Cheteshwar Pujara blamed the change in batting position for Rohit's struggles, KL Rahul stepped up with a strong innings to keep India's fight alive in the third Test.
After Indian cricketer Virat Kohli's poor performance and early dismissal in the Gabba Test, fellow teammate and Test stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara has pointed out the flaws in Kohli's technique. Pujara explained that Kohli's technique is not suited for the new ball and he should come in to bat after 10, 15, or 20 overs. This has resulted in Kohli's worst year as a Test batter with his average dropping to 25.06. Pujara also emphasized the importance of a mental adjustment in facing the new ball.
During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Indian Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara shared how he used sledging to exploit the weaknesses of Australian opener David Warner. Pujara's tactics, particularly reminding Warner of his struggles against Ravichandran Ashwin, disrupted the former's concentration and helped grab his wicket. Pujara's revelation sheds light on the psychological aspect of the game and how it can be used to gain an advantage in a high-stakes series.
Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara shares his analysis of Day 1 at the pink-ball Test against Australia in Adelaide. He believes that team India should have scored at least 250-275 runs on the challenging pitch and credits Australia's bowlers for their effective lengths. Pujara also points out that building partnerships could have been key to India's success, as opposed to constantly losing wickets.
Indian batting sensation Virat Kohli made history at Optus Stadium, Perth on Sunday by surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record of most Test centuries by an Indian batter in Australia and equalling former Australian captain Ricky Ponting's record of most 100s in India-Australia Tests played in Australia. Kohli's 30th Test century in 14 matches also helped him overtake Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara in the list of batters with most runs in India-Australia Tests.
As Australia's Marnus Labuschagne attempted to mimic the resilient batting of Indian stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara in the Perth Test, he struggled on a bouncy pitch and was met with some on-field drama. Despite Labuschagne's attempts to imitate Pujara's marathon innings, his low strike rate and cheeky antics were not enough to ward off fiery confrontations with Indian bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana.
India's star batsman, Virat Kohli, is gearing up to take part in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he has the chance to surpass former Indian cricketer, Rahul Dravid, for the most Test runs against Australia. With just 124 runs away, Kohli could break Dravid's record of 2166 runs in 33 matches and 66 innings. Currently, Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most runs against Australia in Tests, with VVS Laxman closely behind him at second place.
In an interview with Star Sports pressroom, Cheteshwar Pujara revealed that he wants to see KL Rahul bat at number three in the upcoming first Test against Australia. The Indian team will be led by Jasprit Bumrah in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Pujara believes that Rahul's experience at that position will be beneficial for the team. The right-handed batter has struggled with the bat in recent years but will look forward to make an impact if given the chance to bat at number three.
The absence of Cheteshwar Pujara strikes a chord of relief among the Australian team, as they gear up to face India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024. The veteran batter has played a vital role in India's previous two tours to Australia, with his resolute batting. However, with Pujara missing from the touring squad, the hosts are happy with the opportunity to bowl to a young and inexperienced Indian batting line-up. With doubts looming over Shubman Gill's participation in the opening Test, Pujara suggested KL Rahul as the perfect choice at number three for India.
With the highly-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia just around the corner, the focus is on India's batting lineup. According to Australian great Mark Taylor, India's transition from experienced players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to younger talents like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal has not been smooth, primarily due to the indifferent form of their star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Taylor points out that in the past 12-18 months, Sharma and Kohli have not been making the bulk of the runs, while younger players like Jaiswal and Gill have been consistently outscoring them.