‘I never play that kind of shot’ - Cheteshwar Pujara reveals his biggest regret from New Zealand tour

India’s middle-order Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, on Monday, reflected on the poor series, and talked about his biggest regret on the tour.

India had a forgettable Test series in New Zealand. The side led by Virat Kohli suffered a 2-0 defeat after an insipid allround peformance. India’s batting line-up left a lot to be desired with the visitors managing to cross the total of 200 only once in four innings. India’s middle-order Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, on Monday, reflected on the poor series, and talked about his biggest regret on the tour.

India's Cheteshwar Pujara is out bowled. (AP)

Speaking in an interview to Indian Express, the right-hander said: “For me, the biggest regret is the shot that I played during the second Test where I tried to pull. I don’t usually. I never play that kind of a shot.”

Pujara was talking about his fall in the first innings in Christchurch where he tried to play a hook against Kyle Jamieson. He tried to drag the ball from outside off on a short one from the Kiwi seamer, and he got a top edge on the ball, which went straight to BJ Watling at backward square leg.

The moment came after Pujara’s first fifty in the New Zealand Test series, and he was looking good at the time, batting on 54. “It happened instinctively. I still rue it, I wonder how it happened. Once I am set, I never give my wicket away,” the batsman said.

Overall, the 33-year-old had a forgettable series, in which he managed to score just 100 runs in four innings at an average of 25.

Meanwhile, India’s ODI series against South Africa this month was suspended in the wake of coronavirus pandemic outbreak. The first ODI between the two teams was washed out without a ball being bowled, and the two remaining ODIs in Lucknow and Kolkata were called off.