"Puji played a shot that surprised me slightly" - Aakash Chopra on Cheteshwar Pujara's dismissal in 1st IND vs AUS Test

Aakash Chopra has said that Cheteshwar Pujara's decision to play the sweep shot, which led to his dismissal in India's first innings of the first Test against Australia, surprised him slightly.

Pujara managed just seven runs on Day 2 of the Nagpur Test on Friday, February 10. Although he was dismissed cheaply, Rohit Sharma and Co. ended the day at 321/7, with a lead of 144 runs and three first-innings wickets in hand.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on the dismissals of some of India's batting mainstays. As for Pujara, he said:

"Puji played a shot that surprised me slightly. He doesn't play a sweep like that. He was looking very confident till the time he batted. I was feeling very good about him scoring runs because the feet were moving well and he was defending well."

Chopra pointed out that the usually dogged batter played an out-of-character sweep shot straight down the short fine-leg fielder's throat, observing:

"After that, a sweep shot. It was a delivery way outside the leg stump. He played a sweep, got a top edge and a fielder was present there for the sweep only. He ended up hitting the ball straight into his hands."

Pujara was caught by Scott Boland off Todd Murphy's bowling. Rohit Sharma, who was at the non-striker's end, was extremely disappointed by his partner's dismissal, hitting his pads hard with his bat.

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"Everyone believed that it was a slightly unlucky dismissal" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli's dismissal

Virat Kohli was brilliantly caught by Alex Carey behind the wickets. [P/C: BCCI]

Chopra had the following to say about Virat Kohli's dismissal:

"Virat Kohli came and tried to play a shot off a Todd Murphy ball outside the leg stump. He got an inside edge and got out. Everyone believed that it was a slightly unlucky dismissal. Of course, whenever you are caught down the leg side, it is considered unlucky."

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the modern batting great should have refrained from playing a fine flick, explaining:

"The great player Virat Kohli is, he will not think that it was unlucky. He will say whether he could have done something different. I feel he could have done something different. If there is a player at short fine leg, an off-spinner is bowling around the stumps and the ball is turning after pitching, you say there is no gain from playing the flick shot because there is more risk and no reward."

Chopra reckons Kohli should have opened up his body, moved his left leg away and played the ball towards either square leg or midwicket. He added that a fine tickle wouldn't have gone to the wicketkeeper in such a scenario.