Rajkot: Hometown hero Chesteshwar Pujara admitted Friday that he had butterflies in his stomach before he went into bat and also added that India have a good chance of winning the game, if they bat well Saturday.
“I know this wicket, like the back of my hand. It will turn after the lunch break Saturday,” stated Pujara while talking to reporters after the end of the day’s play. “Batting on the fifth day will be difficult, but not impossible. So it is essential that we bat well tomorrow (Saturday) and try and get a lead of 60-70 runs.
The India No.3 batsman also said that he was a nervous wreck Thursday night and Friday morning when he was walking to the middle he was a tad worried. “But then I motivated myself by saying to myself that no one knew this ground better than me,” pointed out Pujara. “I knew there were expectations; my family was on the stands and my dad was watching from the sidelines.
The crowd was also looking forward to me getting a hundred… but then I decided to forget about my targets and focus on the requirements of the side. The first target was to avoid the follow-on. It helped me bat freely,” added the batsman.
Talking about the chemistry between himself and Vijay, the Rajkot-born batsman said communication, both on and off the field has helped. “We play only this (Test) format of the game. And as these days not many Tests are played we try to bond off the field also. We talk a lot about batting in Test cricket whenever we have the chance,” informed Pujara.
Press Trust of India
