Published 13:29 IST, December 17th 2020
India fans call Cheteshwar Pujara 'Modern Day Wall' as he makes Australian bowlers toil
The passionate fans heaped praise on Cheteshwar Pujara after he scored 18 runs off just 100 deliveries in the ongoing first Test against Australia in Adelaide
Cheteshwar Pujara once again proved why he is Team India's most reliable Test batsman in modern-day cricket on Day 1 of the ongoing first Test match at the Adelaide Oval. He saw off the new ball nicely and did not lose focus when India had lost both their openers early on. Pujara made the in-form Australian bowlers toil hard for getting his wicket but to no avail. The number three batsman who had walked out to the middle in the very first over of the contest ended up playing 100 deliveries as he remained unbeaten on 18.
'Real Test player'
Even the passionate cricket fans were determined with the Gujarat cricketer's grit & determination that they came up with new nicknames for him on social media. Here's what they had to say.
Skipper Kohli, Pujara carry out the rescue act
Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss but it was Australia's terrific pace trio of Cummins, Mitchell Starc and, Josh Hazlewood who kept India at bay with their accurate line & length. India lost the wicket of opener Prithvi Shaw in the very first over without troubling the scorers and once Mayank Agarwal was dismissed, skipper Virat Kohli and number three batsman Cheteshwar Pujara decided to play defensive shots in order to ensure that the wickets column was not bloated away needlessly.
India are 71/2 in the 38th over with Cheteshwar Pujara batting on 29 from 125 deliveries.
India look to snap Australia's winning streak in pink-ball Test
The odds are against India heading into the Adelaide Test and they will need to play out of their skins in order to come out on top and rewrite history. Kohli & Co. have their task cut out come December 17 as the Aussies have not lost a single D/N Test match ever since their first contest against New Zealand back in November 2015.
The top-ranked Test side have since gone on to win all the five matches that have been played under lights at home.
Updated 13:29 IST, December 17th 2020