‘Aggression only if you can pull it off’

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As Cheteshwar Pujara started his slow, reluctant walk back to the hut, he kept shaking his head in frustration.

It hadn’t been him and it wasn’t his game. For a moment he had slipped into the shoe of an imposter and traded his natural game for aggression.

A chest-high bouncer from Tim Southee tempted him into a hook and the memories of Durban may have returned to haunt him. There too, he was dismissed in a similar fashion, late in 2010.

Rahul Dravid, the man Pujara replaced at No. 3, had a word of advice then for the young man: play to your strengths.

Apparently, the lesson was learnt and in Hyderabad, on his return after a long lay-off, Pujara was a picture of concentration.

On Saturday, it was lost on him again as Dravid watched Pujara succumb to the bouncer trap.
Talking to this newspaper, Dravid underlined the importance of sticking to one’s natural game.

“If one can play aggressively and put runs on the board, that’s fine. If someone enjoys grinding the attack and take runs, that too would serve well,” said Dravid.

With captain M.S. Dhoni firmly identifying him as the definite one-drop on match the eve, Pujara should be wary about his shot selection at such a nascent stage in his career.

It is that split second of decision-making, whether to go for the hook or duck away safely as Dravid would have done so early in an innings that marks out the player. “Different players play differently. At the end of the day, you’re judged by the runs you score,” reminded Dravid.

Being perched at the pivotal branch in the batting tree, Pujara’s role is to play the sheet-anchor role, in tune with his water-tight technique.

A batsman with a reputation for long innings in the domestic circuit, Pujara is there to wear down the rival bowlers and thrive on his staying power.

It’s no secret that Pujara’s strength is his patience and even his aggression is all about copybook strokes.

Undoubtedly, he is a perfect fit at No. 3 although Dravid modestly adds that ‘No. 3 is like any other batsman and has to score runs for the team”.

In style and approach, Pujara is one who belongs to the old school of batting and distancing away from that wouldn’t serve his Test career well.