Cheteshwar Pujara is ‘the guy who won’ Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21 says Tim Paine | Cricket News

Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant played a pivotal role with the bat in the last Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2020/21 when India went on to reger a famous 2-1 series victory, winning for the second time in a row in Australia. However, Australian skipper at the time Tim Paine would acknowledge that more than Pant it was Cheteshwar Pujara who had a bigger impact on Australia.
Pujara faced 928 balls in the series which is the most any batter in the series. “What I do remember, a lot of people talk about Rishabh Pant in the last series in Australia, but the guy who won the series was Pujara,” said Paine on The Grade Cricketer Podcast.
Thanks to Pujara’s contribution not only did the Australia seamers have to come back to bowl second and third spells but also some of the lower batters were protected against the new ball. “He wore us down, he wore our fast bowlers down. He kept getting hit on the body, but he kept getting up. There is still a place for that in Test cricket,” the former Australian skipper added.
Current Australian skipper Pat Cummins too would sing praises for Pujara. “It was great to play against him. He didn’t allow the bowlers to dominate and was one step ahead,” said Pat Cummins on Star Sports earlier in the month. “I enjoyed bowling against him. There were days when he won and I also tasted success on some days. Pujara is a great cricketer and it is going to be a different kind of feeling with him not being around.”
India released the squad for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy earlier in the month with the veteran batter missing in the squad. “We wanted to dominate each other. He had his say against me but there was always a chance for me to take his wicket. It is a shame that he will not be playing in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” said Cummins.