‘He couldn’t deliver against them’- Former Pakistan leg-spinner bashes Cheteshwar Pujara for his poor display in WTC final

Danish Kaneria, the former Pakistan spinner, has criticized India batter Cheteshwar Pujara for failing in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in London. Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed cheaply in both innings.

Pujara had previously spent a few months on the County circuit in England, competing for Sussex, but was unable to transfer his knowledge with the Oval into massive runs in the WTC final, when it counted the most. The World Test Championship concluded on a low note for India, as they were defeated by an Australian team who outplayed them in every aspect of the game.

This indicates that the bowlers in County cricket were weak: Danish Kaneria

Speaking on his Youtube channel, Kaneria said “Cheteshwar Pujara played County cricket for over two months ahead of the WTC final. Interestingly, he played in the same County. Despite playing for Sussex, he was not able to manage it. This indicates that the bowlers in County cricket were weak, and he got runs. The Australian bowlers were far better, and he couldn’t deliver against them.”

The spinner added, “He played and practised on the kind of wicket for a couple of months and was well aware of the conditions, but still, he was unable to play a top-notch innings.”

Pujara made 545 runs in six County cricket matches in England from April to May of this year. He scored three centuries and recorded the highest score of 151 runs. In the first innings, he misjudged Cameron Green’s inswing ball, allowing it to crash through his stumps. He looked in excellent form and seemed to be timing the ball well in the second innings, but a mistimed upper-cut, saw him catch a nice edge through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

India will now travel to the Caribbean for an all-format series next month, followed by a well-deserved rest. The new WTC cycle begins in the West Indies for team India, which will be looking to make amends following last week’s loss. Pujara will be under a lot of pressure to score runs in this series in order to keep his place in the team.