After saving India from what would have been an embarrassing defeat in Dhaka, R Ashwin talks to player of the series Cheteshwar Pujara about his batting and explains why he rates his “defence” highly.
Ashwin lifted India from the depth of 74 for 7 and dragged them to the goal of 145 before lunch on the fourth morning of the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka for a 2-0 win in the series.
In a video posted by BCCI on their official website, the duo could be seen discussing their game plan, victory and more.
From emerging victorious after a tricky chase to sharing the excitement of red-ball cricket 🙌🏻
Competition winners @ashwinravi99 & @cheteshwar1 sum up #TeamIndiawinning series against Bangladesh 👌🏻👌🏻 – By @RajalArora
Full interview 🔽 #BANVIND https://t.co/5E8DzZ0bVP pic.twitter.com/4XSe2HjInB
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 25, 2022
Pujara questions the spinner about his positive intentions during the game. While questioning Ashwin about the changes in his game, he asks if it’s because of the T20 and IPL prep or the amount of white ball cricket he’s been playing lately.
To this, the 36-year-old spinner says: “Very possible….I would still like to think I rate my defense pretty highly, even if it can look a little iffy at times. I think test matches are played and built around defence. and as a batter…I’m talking to a man who builds his game around defense”
Pujara nods his head, smiles and says “I totally agree”
He poked fun at the veteran batsmen, saying “On the other hand, Cheteshwar Pujara has gone over the top and swept bowlers through this series with consistency.”
In response to this, Pujara revealed that he had been playing those shorts in practice sessions every day and now he finally got a chance to perform them in the series.
“You know I’ve been working on this for quite some time and it’s been almost a few years. It’s been in all my practice sessions and the last test match was the match where I got the chance to do that,” Pujara shared.
This is not the first time Ashwin has pulled his leg, the senior Indian batsman has sledge Pujara on several occasions.
Earlier, in an interaction with Vikram Rathour (team India’s batting coach) on his YouTube channel, Ashwin challenged the batsman, asking, “Will we ever see Pujara hit an off-spinner over the top?”
Pujara spills more beans on his game plan, giving credit to his domestic team Saurashtra and his provincial stint in England.
“A lot of credit also goes to the amount of white-ball cricket I’ve played for Sussex and Saurashtra as it helped me gain confidence”
India beat Bangladesh by three wickets in the low-scoring Second Test to complete a 2-0 series sweep at Mirpur. Ashwin took 6 wickets and was unbeaten on 42 in the chase, while the right-handed batsman scored 90 and 102* in both innings in the first Test, with the hundred having a batting frequency of 78.