What is the Story?
As in the first three games, Cheteshwar Pujara once again accumulated in the races of day 2 of the fourth test, but did not reach the two hundred. Adding salt to the pain induced by Pujara in Australia was Rishabh Pant with his magnificent set of punches. The young man, who hesitated to reach fifty in the first three games, gained a useful century.
After the dismissal of Pujara, the boy from Delhi built a crucial association with Ravindra Jadeja. The 21-year-old was cautious during most of his innings but he did not stop himself from taking chances once in a while. By reaching the three-digit mark at 137 balls, Pant became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a century in Australia.
In case you did not know …
By winning the Melbourne Test, India made sure to keep the Border-Gavaskar trophy and all they need is a draw in the final SCG Test. In a shoot that is expected to be favorable for batting during the first three days, India was lucky to have won the draw.
On Day 1, India did not have the expected start, as KL Rahul once again failed to make an impact, but a century-long association between Mayank Agarwal and Pujara stabilized the Indian entries.
The importance of the matter
After Agarwal left for 77, Pujara continued to build alliances with the hitters below. The batter Saurashtra added 54, 48, 101 and 89 runs with Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant for the third, fourth, fifth and sixth window respectively.
While Pujara was the architect of the entrances to India, Pant gave India the final touch. The young man raised the bet after the dismissal of Pujara. For the seventh gate, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant built a century association with only 133 balls. The partnership took India one step closer to its first triumph in the series of tests in Australia.
Twitter Reactions:
Chitt ke Ishwar, another name for Lord Shiva – Cheteshwar Pujara.
Destroyed Australia’s chances in the series, most number of balls batted by an Indian in a series against Australia. Outstanding 193, memorable knock pic.twitter.com/jEcTWhs7kQ— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) 4 January 2019
Top innings by @RishabPant777. His talent is undoubted but have enjoyed his composure and the manner in which he has built his innings. Still got there in 137 balls! In a couple of years, he will be India’s no 6.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 4 January 2019
Tim Paine – Big MS Dhoni is back in the one day squad. We might get this bloke down at the Hurricanes
Rishabh Pant – pic.twitter.com/5mNY1AGF15
— Bollywood Gandu (@BollywoodGandu) 4 January 2019
Series victory in Australia – Great fun.
Watching Australia totally give up and wait for India to declare – Even more fun.— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) 4 January 2019
Pant looks such a good player & dependable when he is batting in 3rd gear. Going forward he could try & perfect his 4th gear shots ( lofted shots) or play largely in 3rd gear like this. #UnsolicitedAdvice
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) 4 January 2019
#AUSvIND
We’ve got Pant
Rishab Pant
I just don’t think you’ll understand
He’ll hit you for a six
He’ll babysit your kids
We’ve got Rishab Pant
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.#BharatArmySongBook @RishabPant777 #BharatArmy #TeamIndia #12thMan #WeveGotPant #COTI ???? pic.twitter.com/ZiXaPWqi6M— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) 4 January 2019
Meanwhile Cheteshwar Pujara to Australian bowlers. #INDvAUS #AUSvIND #Pujara pic.twitter.com/V4BaYebpSn
— Sir Jadeja (@SirJadeja) 4 January 2019
Most batsmen shadow bat a forceful drive or two when they are walking out. Not Che Pujara. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/sFR88bwAkX
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) 2 January 2019
A great lesson to all batsmen in the series and tests in general. @cheteshwar1 showing how trusting your strengths and being unashamedly dogged in technique and concentration brings great rewards.
— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) 4 January 2019
Classical Test Match batting, a masterclass from Pujara. So much to learn from him for batsman all over the world these days. And while comparison is not fair, for the criticism he gets , in this series Pujara has scored runs at a strike rate marginally more than Kohli. pic.twitter.com/y20abO588C
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) 4 January 2019
