“Happy that Cheteshwar Pujara is not around this time” – Hazlewood before India vs Australia 1st Test

Pujara was the highest scorer in the 2018-19 series and although he couldn’t score big in 2020-21, he held things together in the middle in the absence of Virat Kohli.

Josh Hazlewood’s in good spirits before the India vs Australia 1st Test. The fast bowler didn’t have the best time playing red-ball cricket after eight months. Hazlewood failed to take a wicket for New South Wales against Queensland earlier in the month in Sheffield Shield but isn’t worried about his Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) returns now that Cheteshwar Pujara isn’t part of Team India.

His diminishing returns had forced India to drop him after the World Test Championship Final 2023. But, for Australia, he was a force to be reckoned with. In the BGT 2018-19, which was India or any Asian team’s first-ever Test series victory in Australia, Pujara faced 1257 balls alone and was the highest scorer (521 runs).

Australia’s tormentor-in-chief, Cheteswar Pujara

In the following series, 2020-21, he wasn’t at his best but still somehow managed to fall a whopping 928 balls. He managed to grind Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon out while Rishabh Pant chipped away with quick runs. Pujara scored just 271 runs, almost half of what he’d scored last series, but had the same impact as India won despite half of their top players injured.

So, Hazlewood’s happy they don’t face to see the ‘new wall’ again. “I am pretty happy that Cheteshwar Pujara is not around this time. He’s someone who spends a lot of time out there and tires out the bowlers. But the depth in Indian cricket is pretty good, and the younger guys have a lot of talent as well,” the pacer said before the India vs Australia 1st Test.

A couple of days ago, Australia’s captain Cummins, expressed that he’d frustrated them by batting for long periods. This time around, Team India neither has Pujara nor an apt replacement for him. Of course, they are also without two of their other experienced batters, with Rohit Sharma unavailable and Shubman Gill injured.