Sanjay Bangar, the India assistant coach, hailed Cheteshwar Pujara’s “bloody-mindedness” during his 257-ball 132* in Southampton, which that ensured India ended their first innings in the fourth Test with a 27-run lead.
A middle and lower order collapse on Friday, 31 August, meant India, who had looked likely to topple England’s first innings score of 246, were in danger of conceding a lead, with Moeen Ali returning 5/63.
However, Pujara batted with the tail, adding crucial partnerships of 32 and 46 for the last two wickets with Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah respectively, to help India post 273.
It was a much-needed century – his 15th in Tests – for Pujara, especially given he had headed into the series on poor form, and wasn’t played in the first Test at Edgbaston. “He showed a lot of composure, clarity of thought and great discipline in his judgement outside off,” said Bangar.
“You saw a great mix of caution and aggression in his innings. He also showed another facet of his batsmanship, a glimpse of what he could do when he was batting with the tail.
“Talent can not only be seen in class, but also in bloody-mindedness. He showed mental strength, patience and the concentration today.
“If you have all those characteristics, then even if you have some limitations in terms of scoring areas or not possessing all the strokes, you can become an effective Test player. That is what he showed.”
“Obviously, certain areas had to be worked on. He had to get his balance and footwork right. Those were the two areas we worked on as a support-staff group, Ravi (Shastri) and myself. It’s heartening that the work that he put in was duly rewarded.”
