Cheteshwar Pujara’s struggles against Jack Leach continued on Friday, with the England spinner getting rid of the Indian batsman on Day 2 of the fourth Test. His dismissal comes days after Virat Kohli refuted suggestions about Pujara’s struggles against left-arm spinners.
The BCCI uploaded a clip of Cheteshwar Pujara’s dismissal online. You can check it out here.
Cheteshwar Pujara started the day confidently, playing out the pacers patiently. The batsman left most of the deliveries outside the off-stump and looked assured with the ones directed at the wickets.
But the introduction of Jack Leach once again brought his downfall. In a copycat dismissal to the one Leach inflicted on Pujara in the pink-ball Test, the right-handed batsman was out LBW.
Bowling from around the wicket, Jack Leach got one to hold its line and breach Cheteshwar Pujara’s defense. The ball hit the 33-year-old's pad and umpire Nitin Menon raised his finger.
Cheteshswar Pujara immediately reviewed the decision, with his body language suggesting he had got some bat on it. But replays showed the ball hit his front pad first as the Indian No.3 walked back to the pavilion after making 17 off 66 balls.
Jack Leach has now bowled 89 deliveries to Cheteshwar Pujara in the ongoing series, getting him out four times, while conceding 61 runs.
For close watchers of the India-England series, Cheteshwar Pujara’s struggles against Jack Leach have been evident for a while. What is more concerning is the manner in which Pujara has got out to Leach.
Two out of the four dismissals have been LBWs, with Pujara missing the ball completely. The other two have been edged to first slip, with the batsman struggling to cope with the turn.
Cheteshwar Pujara has scored just 133 runs in the series and an average of 22.16 isn’t good enough for someone of his stature. He will look to end the series on a high if he gets another chance to bat later in the game.