“Lot of people talk about Rishabh Pant in the last series in Australia, but the guy who won them the series was Pujara” – Tim Paine on 2020-21 BGT

Former Australian skipper Tim Paine reckons Cheteshwar Pujara deserves more credit for the 2020-21 series win than Rishabh Pant. Pujara scored 271 runs in four Test matches on the 2020-21 tour of Australia at an average of 33.88 and faced a total of 928 balls in the series to worn out the Australian fast bowlers.

Pujara had also scored 521 runs at an average of 74.43 in four Test matches on the 2018-19 tour of Australia and thus played an instrumental role in India’s maiden win on the Australian shores.

On the other hand, Rishabh Pant scored a match-winning 89* in the second innings at the Gabba to help India register a historic win in 2020-21. Pant scored 274 runs in four Test matches at an average of 68.50 to help India take the series by 2-1.

Paine saluted Pujara’s grit with the bat despite getting hit on the body on multiple occasions.

Speaking on the Grade Cricketer podcast, Paine said, “What I do remember, a lot of people talk about Rishabh Pant in the last series in Australia, but the guy who won them the series was Pujara. He wore us down, he wore our fast bowlers down. He kept getting hit on the body, but he kept getting up. There is still place for that in Test cricket.”

Meanwhile, Paine feels the absence of Mohammed Shami is a huge blow for the Indian team and Jasprit Bumrah will hold the key as the leader of the pack.

“Shami is going to be a huge difference, Bumrah, there is so much on his shoulders. If he gets hurt, then it’s curtains for me,” Paine said in the same interaction.

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played in Perth from November 22 onwards but this time Pujara is not be part of India’s Test squad.