Dale Steyn said that Cheteshwar Pujara would realise that there were areas he could have rotated the strike better when he looks back at his innings on Day 2

HIGHLIGHTS

• Pujara required as many as 36 balls to get off the mark with a four
• He was eventually dismissed on eight off 54 balls by Trent Boult
• Steyn said that Pujara could have rotated the strike better to push the team’s score

Veteran South African fast bowler Dale Steyn said that Cheteshwar Pujara could have rotated the strike a bit more during India’s innings on Day 2 of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. Pujara absorbed 54 balls to score eight runs before falling to fast bowler Trent Boult.

Pujara required as many as 36 balls to get off the mark with a four. He then hit another four off the very next ball but did not score any runs after that.

“Now he faced 50 balls and we know that this is the kind of player that he is. But I’m sure if he looked back and looked at the sample of video analysis, he would find that there are deliveries there where he could have created the opportunity to maybe rotate a little bit more strike,” Steyn said on ESPNCricinfo.

“I saw something come up and it was like 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 4, 4, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and then a wicket. I’m sure in all those 50 balls, he could have rotated strike and just gotten that scoring to nudge on a little bit for himself and as well as his team,” he further said.

Pujara shared a 25-run partnership for the third wicket with captain Virat Kohli which came in 95 balls. Ajinkya Rahane then stayed with Kohli until play was called off early due to bad weather and the pair will start Day 3 on an overnight stand of 58 runs