Cheteshwar Pujara's dismissal for just 15 runs in the first session of the reserve day of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, against New Zealand, is yet another failure for India's otherwise dependable number 3 batsman. He managed only 8 runs in 54 deliveries in the first innings of the match.
What is alarming is Pujara's consistent inability to put runs on the board for a while now. This was his 6th consecutive Test innings where he failed to score more than 30 runs. Out of these three have been single digit scores.
While Pujara's utility in this format is a lot more than the runs he scores, what is troublesome for India is that he isn't able to occupy the crease for long either.
WTC Final Reserve Day Live Score - India vs New Zealand
His last Test century came in January 2019, during India's historic series win in Australia. He played a dogged role in India's victory down under earlier this year too, but his lack of runs is now hurting the team.
Pujara has scored at an average of less than 30 throughout the two-year period of the World Test Championship, and hasn't scored a single century in this duration.
{{/usCountry}}Pujara has scored at an average of less than 30 throughout the two-year period of the World Test Championship, and hasn't scored a single century in this duration.
{{/usCountry}}While he has contributed with 9 half-centuries in this period, India expects more from its number 3 in order to put big totals on the board. Pujara's decline in form is worrisome because captain Virat Kohli has also failed to post big scores for a while now and that is putting a lot of pressure on the top and the lower middle order.
With a big series coming up against England, India need Pujara to pull his socks up and start getting runs under his belt.