Like many people, I was outraged to see this. But I have as a habit, stopped having one. Outrages achieve nothing other than a few retweets and a dopamine shot.
So let us break this down. In an era where people strike sixes for fun, is Pujara important in test cricket?
So to begin with, establishing a couple of fundamentals about test cricket that are not true about other forms -
(1) An innings doesn't end after a limited number of overs.
And, (2) The team that can win consistently is the one that has the ability to take 20 wickets.
Now, when two quality teams face each other on a track that is not made out of concrete, it is a fair assumption that both the teams will bowl each other out given enough time. Hence, it is very important to not give the opposition enough time to bowl you out.
Putting the two things together. How much does actually bat? A lot. In the last 5 years, he has faced the most balls in almost every series. He has faced around 1600 balls i.e. 266 overs more than the next best, Virat.
That's a lot of time taken away. Let us now run a (not so) hypothetical scenario. One with Pujara, and one without. With Pujara in the team, the team will bat around 1-1.1 hours more every innings. The one without Pujara will have runs scored quicker, yes. But will end early.
Australia has ample time to come, score and give you a target you cannot chase. So you either start a blockathon or go for the win and lose. Not because you are less skilled. There is just too much time left in the game.
Look at what his additional time batting in the center does, even just on the face value. It keeps Australia from batting you out of the game. Add to this the layer that the longer you keep an attack on the field, the tired they will be.
Stretch this over a series of 4 games? You have a bowling attack that is absolutely knackered because of just how long Pujara bats. Pujara doesn't score runs. Pujara performs robbery under broad daylight. And this is why Pujara is invaluable.
Pat Cummins doesn't know what getting tired means. He bowled over 8 overs at Pujara and hit him as much as he could. Where it hurt. But Pujara just stood there is a rock on the cliff against waves. The fact that the games did not end in a pure annihilation is because Pat Cummins was tired out by Cheteshwar Pujara.
The core issue in this thought process of Manu Josephan was that they are looking at test cricket in terms of runs. Not their fault entirely. It is how we think now. We don't have time for anything anymore. We want quick validation. Relationships, Entertainment, Sport.
But test cricket? It has a lot of time for you if you have the appetite. And Cheteshwar Pujara is hungry. All the time. Happy belated birthday legend. Stay blessed.
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