Stat highlights of the day
– Umesh becomes only the 5th indian pacer to take 100 wickets at home
– Lyon went past Muttiah Muralitharan to become 2nd in the list of most wickets against India
– 13th time Lyon got Pujara in Tests – the most an Indian batter has got out to a bowler
– Lyon also equalled Richie Benaud’s tally of most 5-wicket hauls (5) vs India in India
– Only the 1st time since Jan 2019, Jadeja got dismissed for a single digit score twice in a Test
– Only the 2nd time India got bundled out under 200 twice in a Test since 1978
– Also the second fewest overs (93.5) batted by India in a Test (bowled out twice)
Cheteshwar Pujara: It is a tough pitch to bat on. It is not easy and you need to trust your defence, you need to make sure to get to the pitch of the ball and try to judge the length early. I know it is not enough but still there is a chance (to win). You need to do that on such pitches, if you keep defending then there’s one ball which will bounce and hit your glove, you need to find the right balance between attack and defence. Whenever I got a loose delivery I tried to put it away. When he (Lyon) bowled round the wicket, his line changed a bit, he was bowling middle and leg-stump line rather than on off-stump, I just wanted to rotate the strike. I wanted to hit it to square leg but because of the slowness of the surface it took the ball to leg slip. It was a brilliant catch by Smith. Bit disappointed, the way things were coming along.. a partnership with Axar, we could have gotten a few more. I am learning few more shots and if there’s a situation or demand then you get few quick runs, I have been working on that and I’m confident that whenever it is needed I can play the (big) shot.
Moment of the day: Around the 52nd over, Rohit didn’t look too pleased on seeing Pujara and Axar letting some loose balls go scot-free. He than had an animated chat with substitute Ishan Kishan (almost suggesting the kind of shots to play) between overs and urged him to convey the message to the duo. A couple of overs later, Pujara carted Lyon into the second tier which induced a broad grin from the Indian skipper. And ultimately, it needed a blinder of a catch from Smith to dismiss Pujara.
