Not Adelaide, Not Gabba: Why Eden Gardens 2017 Was Pujara’s Greatest Innings

Cheshwar Pujara’s best innings, I am convinced, was the 52 he made against Sri Lanka at The Eden Gardens in 2017. It was his best because of the harsh batting conditions under which it was played – a damp, bouncing, seaming Eden Gardens track. The square was so richly grassed that Sunil Gavaskar, during the pitch report, remarked that “there is very little difference between the outfield and the pitch.”

There was rain around too, so much so that the toss was delayed until 1 PM in the afternoon. Further delay meant that hostilities did not get underway until around 1:40 PM and only 11.5 overs were possible on the first day. Sri Lanka won the toss and bowled first, the second team to make that decision since 1969.

No one thought batting would be easy. And that belief was confirmed when the very first delivery from Suranga Lakmal bounced, seamed away and caught the edge of KL Rahul’s searching blade. 

And thus began Pujara’s masterclass.

The best, most skillful batting, occurs in testing circumstances. Pujara was severely tested by the first ball he faced. But the bounce that helped defeat Rahul saved him when the ball vaulted his stumps as he allowed it to pass by untouched. The exaggerated seam movement and steep bounce made driving on the up, for instance, a hazardous exercise, as Shikar Dhawan soon found out when his expansive drive to Lakmal crashed into his stumps via his inside edge.

Lakmal was relishing the helpful environment. Not a single run was scored off his bowling until his seventh over, by which time he had grabbed the three wickets that fell.

During all the mayhem, however, Pujara remained a model of focus and fortitude. While others were pulled like magnets to deliveries outside off or attempted injudicious drives, he played late and ignored anything even slightly missing the stumps. Doing commentary, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden said that leaving the ball is one of the hardest things a batsman has to do. Well, it seemed second nature to India’s number three.

A long life on such a spiteful surface was difficult. And yet, despite the obvious peril, Pujara hardly ever missed the scoring opportunity. Whenever the ball was full enough, he strode forward assuredly to drive and whenever it was short enough, he rocked back to pull. He dealt largely in boundaries, finding the ropes 10 times.

He was beaten on occasions, as would every other batter, living or dead, on that surface. But, unperturbed, he went serenely on his way.

Only 32.5 overs were possible over the first two days. India entered the third day on 74/5, with Pujara 47 not out. He did not last long on the third day, adding only five runs before Lahiru Gamage breached his defence with one that darted in. You needed luck to survive for long on this surface and his had run out, though it has to be admitted that the gap he left between bat and pad was too wide.

After such a display, however, Pujara should be forgiven for what was probably his lone error. He had displayed rare qualities of concentration and skill. It was a masterpiece, the worth of which was not diminished by its lack of bulk. Viv Richards, the great, regarded his 61 against India at Sabina Park in 1983 as his best effort. A great innings need not be one of great size.

With so much time eaten away, the game ended in a draw. But it was a remarkable spectacle that emphasized the vagaries of Test-match batting and highlighted the importance of survival skills in taxing conditions.

That was Pujara’s specialty during his career. He never took to the smash-bang batting of the T20 game. He was a Test specialist, who, though often undervalued, gave great service to his country. 

There was talk at times of his lack of intent, meaning, he was sometimes too reluctant to impose himself on the opposition. He did, on one occasion against Australia in Sydney in 2021, spend all of 176 balls for only 50 runs, which prompted former Australian captain Allan Border to say Pujara “was almost scared to play a shot.” 

But Australia held the upper hand for most of that game, and declared at 312/6 in their second innings, asking the visitors to score 407 for victory. That they came reasonably close was due to an extraordinary innings of 97 off 118 balls by Rishabh Pant. 

More urgency from Pujara could, conceivably, have resulted in a win for India. But had he lost his wicket being more forthright, a less adhesive batter would have come to the crease. And there is no telling how things would have turned out. You make your judgments in the middle, and you live with them, right or wrong.

Pujara has gotten it more right than wrong, most of the time. He was the difference between the two sides when India went to Australia for the 2018-19 visit. During the first Test in Adelaide, for example, Pujara made 123 of India’s 250 in the first innings. His runs came off 246 deliveries, at a quite respectable scoring rate on 50.00. Instructively, his first 12 runs came off 74 balls and he rested on 11 for all of 30 balls. 

His initial watchfulness was warranted. India’s batters played like millionaires, casually gifting their wickets. Only Pujara showed any degree of cussedness while wickets fell regularly around him. 

He scored 521 runs in the series at a staggering 74.42 average. He faced 1258 deliveries – a record for Indian batters for a Test series in Australia – and batted with fierce focus and extraordinary skill. His shot selection was, in its way, breathtakingly brilliant, for though his first inclination might have been to defend, he was quick to seize the obvious scoring opportunity.

The use of his feet to Lyon, who was Australia’s most threatening bowler, was excellent in its execution and groundbreaking in its regularity. It is doubtful he had used his feet as much to spin before and his battle with Lyon was most intriguing.

Batters, for the most part, use their feet to attack spinners; Pujara came down the pitch mostly to defend, and, importantly, to deny Lyon the use of the rough patch outside the righthander’s off-stump. He showed, during the series, that he was a past master at combatting spin.

As Pujara hangs up his helmet, he should be appreciated for the value he brought to Test-match batting. He was a great servant of the game and often fought fiercely for his country after his comrades had fallen. In this age of attacking batting, he valued the sturdy defense. His country benefitted enormously from his efforts.