Team India coach Anil Kumble attending the press conference at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. Image Source: Xtra Time[/caption]Kolkata: There has been a perception about Cheteswar Pujara’s batting in test matches is that he takes longer to get going. It was evident in the first test match against the Kiwis at Kanpur, wherein he registered two half-centuries, but the pace at which those runs have come was in discussion. The stylish batsman from Sourashtra took 109 deliveries to score 62 runs. In the second innings too he took 152 balls to score 78 runs when the need of the hour was to accelerate the scoring. There have been instances in the past when he consumed too many balls. A case in point was his laborious 46 against the West Indies in Sabina Park in July, wherein he consumed 159 balls for his 46.
Indian coach Anil Kumble did stressed on the importance of strike rate but at the same time emphasized Pujara is a vital cog in the batting line up.
According to Kumble, “At least from the team management, there is absolutely no pressure on Pujara. Like I mentioned earlier as well, he's a very important cog in our team. And we've seen over the years his contribution. Even in the last Test match, we saw the importance of his contribution to the team's cause. So I don't see pressure on anyone in this team. The beauty about this squad is that there's hardly any pressure on anyone, yes there is roles and responsibilities but there's no pressure put on any player.”
The former leg spinner also welcomed Gambhir in the squad. But at the same time he did not elaborate whether the left hander may find a place in the playing eleven or not.
“I think it's really nice to have Gautam back. Unfortunately Rahul got injured in the last Test match. I think for some reason something has been happening with the openers. Vijay got injured in West Indies and now Rahul. It's unfortunate because Rahul was batting brilliantly. But having said, Gautam has done really well in domestic cricket. He's part of the fifteen. I don't want to give away anything with regards to team combinations. All fifteen are available for selection. So it’s nice to have him back.”
It will be interesting to see what the combination will be like as the wicket here at Eden Gardens is likely to take turn late in the match. That might prompt the team management top play in an extra bowler as Virat has always preferred going in with a five bowler combination. In that case the axe may fall on Rohit Sharma who has an outstanding record at the venue. Speaking about Rohit, Kumble feel,“I think in this squad we will only look at what is needed for that particular playing XI. Generally over the last one year, we have constantly gone with five bowlers but in the last Test match we felt that four bowlers and the additional batsman was important, and that’s why Rohit came into the team at No.6. With Rohit batting well certainly augurs well for us. In the first innings, obviously he was disappointed with the way he got out. That’s something which he is aware of and when he played in the second innings, it was a brilliant innings. That knock, with Jadeja in that partnership of 100-plus, was crucial as well for us to take the game away from the New Zealanders and ensure that we dominate that session. That momentum got carried over when we went on to bowl as well. So in that sense, Rohit contributing was a huge boost for not just the team, but I’m sure it would have done a lot of good for his confidence.”
Lastly, speaking on the Eden wicket, Kumble commented, “I still haven’t had a look at the pitch. Yes it’s early in the season, there’s been a lot of rain in the air and I hope rain doesn’t play spoilsport during the Test match. It will be a good wicket. I’ve spoken about this before the start of the series too – that whatever wicket is there, we have the squad to encounter any challenge and adapt to any conditions. So we’re not really worried too much about the pitch and what it can do, what it cannot do. We have all bases covered.”
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