Cheteshwar Pujara was hit on his ribs, shoulder, finger, and helmet (twice so far) throughout Day 5 of the Brisbane Test, and he remained unfazed by all the body blows. The gritty Indian batsman put up a show which so summarises the Indian team on the tour of Australia.
Pujara sustained the short-ball barrage from Australian bowlers -- Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in particular on the final day of the Test at The Gabba as India chased down 328 to secure a 2-1 win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Speaking of his innings, which saw him play 212 deliveries and subsequently wearing out the Australian pace battery, Pujara said he came in prepared to play the barrage of bouncers and pain is something he has dealt with through his entire career.
“From my early days, I am not in the habit of taking pain- killers. That’s why my threshold to bear pain is pretty high. You play for so long, you get used to getting hit,” Pujara told Indian Express.
Pujara explained why he purposely let the ball hit his body as Pat Cummins made things difficult for him in the middle with his short deliveries.
“I mostly got hit from one end and that too against (Pat) Cummins. There was this crack on the pitch around the short-of-length spot from where the ball would just take off. Cummins has the skill to make the ball rear up from there and make it follow you.
"In case I took my hand up to defend it, there was a risk that I would glove the ball. Considering the match situation and how we couldn’t afford to lose wickets, I decided to let the ball hit my body,” he said.
