Australia vs India 2018: 5 best individual performances from the Test series

Cheteshwar Pujara – 123 (246), 1st innings, Adelaide Oval

Australia v India - 1st Test: Day 4

In the first Test of the Australian summer, all eyes were on India’s skipper Virat Kohli. The fans around the globe, local media, former players and even the opposition players were talking about this man’s impact on the series.

India won the toss and were in early trouble on a wicket that had some green tinge and spongy bounce to go with it. When Usman Khawaja pulled off a blinder at gully to dismiss Kohli, Indian fans would have had old memories of Indian batting line-up struggling on bouncy Australian conditions.

When Rohit Sharma was dismissed, India had only 86 runs on the board with half the side back in the pavilion. Only Cheteshwar Pujara had the technique and patience to fight it out there.

With only young wicketkeeper Rishab Pant and bowlers for company, Pujara paced his innings to perfection. His shot selection was immaculate and the way he handled off-spinner Nathan Lyon was top quality. He danced down the track as much as possible to put him off the radar and was successful in scoring runs on either side of the wicket.

In the process, Pujara brought up his 16th Test hundred and in the end, was dismissed by a stunning piece of work in the field by Pat Cummins and probably the only way Australia could have dismissed him. His hundred went a long way in India taking an early lead in the 4-match series.

Australia knew this Indian batting line up is more than just Virat Kohli.