Legendary Australian skipper Allan Border slammed India’s Test specialist for his slow knock against Australia on Day 3 of the ongoing 3rd Test match. Allan Border believes Indian batsman Cheteshwar was almost scared to play with freedom against the Aussie pacers.
Pujara has found himself at the receiving end of criticism after he scored the slowest half-fifty of his Test career. Pujara scored his half-century off 174 balls, beating his previous slowest knock against South Africa in 2018, which he pulled off in 173 balls. However, what hurt India more was the fact that Pujara was dismissed immediately after getting to his fifty.
Several cricketers and experts criticized the performance of Pujara and claimed that he could have done better. Among many former Australian skipper Allan Border also slammed Pujara for his performance.
Talking to Foxsports.com.au, Allan Border stated was trying to survive rather than taking on the Australian bowlers. As per Border, Pujara’s slow knock put a lot of pressure on the rest of the batting line-up. He said:
“He (Cheteshwar Pujara) is almost scared to play a shot, isn’t he? He is playing to survive rather than looking to score,”
He added:
“He’s not had quite the same impact this series in that he’s taken so long to score his runs, it’s like he’s stagnated at the crease and it has had a bit of a ripple effect through the Indian batting. They can’t seem to get on top of Australia’s bowling,”
Furthermore, Allan Border heaped praises on the Australian bowlers for restricting team India for just 244 runs. He said:
“Credit where credit is due, the bowling has been very good and Australia haven’t allowed them to get away. That’s half the battle as well, the guy’s been hard to get out but if the scoreboard is not moving, eventually you get your rewards,”
