One of Ravi Shastri’s tallest achievements as a coach was to prepare a worn-out Indian team to stand up to a marauding Australian pace attack at the Gabba in 2021. He impelled the players to fight on and Cheteswhar Pujara’s batting in that Test epitomised India’s resistance. Pujara stood intransigent, battered, bruised, taking blow after blow on his body but did not give up. Shastri called him a fighter.
“I said then and I say this today, he is a warrior,” Shastri told Cricbuzz ahead of Pujara’s 100th Test, a milestone only 12 other Indian cricketers have reached so far. “For me he is my soldier, like I had said after the Gabba Test. He is a warrior. If India managed to create history by winning two series in Australia, Pujara had a massive role to play in those achievements. Massive.
“He is a quiet operator who can be lethal when needed. He has done yeoman service to Indian cricket and is a quintessential professional. Many congratulations to him on the 100th Test.“
Shastri thought Pujara’s USP is his fortitude which has seen him through the journey to the 100th Test and felt as he gained in experience, he added resilience to his batting skills. “His biggest strength is his stubbornness, a quality that players have and it has stood him in good stead for most of his career. His ability to be a little more flexible in the latter half of his career has enhanced his batting strength.
