Cheteshwar Pujara expressed his disappointment over India’s missed opportunity to exploit Travis Head’s struggle against short balls during the ongoing Test match in Adelaide. On Saturday, December 7, Head produced a stunning performance, scoring 140 runs off just 141 deliveries, supported by 17 boundaries and four sixes.
Thanks to Head’s fireworks, Australia built a commanding lead of 157 runs in their first innings. The left-handed batsman showcased his familiarity with the Adelaide conditions, having previously played for South Australia and the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League.
While Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne contributed with scores of 39 and 64, respectively, it was Head who took full control of the game. Pujara commented that India should have bowled more short-pitched deliveries to challenge the southpaw effectively.
“Everyone knows that Head struggles with short-pitched deliveries, but we only saw him face a couple. We could have used that tactic much more wisely,” Pujara shared in an interview with Star Sports. “He likes playing on the offside, so changing our field placement from a 6-3 (offside-onside) to a 5-4 could have limited his scoring options.”
Pujara also remarked on the tough road ahead for India in the Adelaide Test. As Day 2 came to a close, the Indian side was still trailing by 29 runs with five wickets remaining in their second innings.
“The batters appeared to be too late in their approach. Many got out due to lack of experience with the pink ball. There should have been discussions in the team about when to attack and when to defend. If a few wickets had fallen today, we could have had a chance to make a strong comeback, but now it seems very challenging,” Pujara noted.
Key players like KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and captain Rohit Sharma failed to make significant contributions, leaving Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy to rescue India as they move forward.
