Pujara defends timing of declaration, says didn’t want soft ball

Visakhapatnam, October 5 

Cheteshwar Pujara has said that the Indians timed their second innings declaration in such a manner that they didn’t have to start with a soft semi-new-ball on the fifth day tomorrow.

Asked if the timing of declaration was right, Pujara said: “It was. We did not want to bowl too many overs because we wanted to keep the ball hard for the start of Day 5. You don’t want to end up bowling too many overs and once the ball gets soft, it gets slightly easier to bat. We picked up a crucial wicket (Dean Elgar). So as a team, we are happy with the way things went today.”

Pujara also felt that it won’t be easy to bat on a fifth-day track. “Hopefully, on Day 5, this pitch wouldn’t be easy to bat on and there will be a little more assistance for the spinners. We have already seen that the pitch offers variable bounce, so the fast bowlers will also come into play. I think there is enough rough for the spinners and the cracks will open up a bit more on Day 5,” India’s ever-dependable No. 3 said. Pujara is expecting Ravindra Jadeja to exploit the rough on the pitch, as certain deliveries have either kicked up or stayed low from the spots created.— PTI

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