Is Cheteshwar Pujara's century drought a cause for concern?

Cricket's strange fixation with three-figure scores has led to some interesting conversations about the Indian team over the last year or two.

Captain Virat Kohli last scored an international century in November 2019 in the historic pink-ball Test against Bangladesh. Although he has regularly crossed the fifty-run mark even on minefields since, he has been branded "out of form" and "inconsistent".

Another player who now finds himself in the firing line is Cheteshwar Pujara. The Indian Test No. 3 hasn't registered a ton since the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in which he finished as the leading run-getter after batting the Aussies into submission.

Day 2 of the 4th Test against England saw Pujara walk back for 17 as he fell to Jack Leach for the fourth time in the series. The dismissal meant that he has now gone 28 innings without a Test century, and he has crossed 60 only twice in this period.

Is Cheteshwar Pujara's century drought a cause for concern? In this article, we analyse the right-hander's technical issues and his role in the Indian team.

---

What's going wrong for Cheteshwar Pujara?

Australia found chinks in Cheteshwar Pujara's armour

Cheteshwar Pujara's recent struggles have a striking resemblance to those of Rahul Dravid during the latter phase of his career.

The gap between bat and pad was often found by opposition bowlers in Dravid's last few series, with most of his dismissals being bowled or LBW. Pujara's dominant bottom hand and tendency to play with a bat angled slightly towards the leg-side have made him susceptible in a similar fashion.

While Cheteshwar Pujara's defence has held up for the most part against the in-swinger despite these technical shortcomings, the one that nips away in the corridor of uncertainty has often had his number on it. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins exploited this Down Under, while Kyle Jamieson and Trent Boult had their share of success in New Zealand as well.

Yes, most batsmen would struggle against a moving ball in that line. But Cheteshwar Pujara has made a career out of being able to defend or leave what others can't, and one of his biggest strengths is slowly being taken out of the equation.

Pujara is on the wrong side of 30, so dwindling hand-eye coordination might be the primary reason to explain his worries against pace. But recently, spin has also troubled the Indian Test veteran on end.

Nathan Lyon and Jack Leach have enjoyed bowling to Cheteshwar Pujara. While the Aussie off-spinner has dismissed Pujara on 10 occasions in Test cricket (3 more than any other bowler), Leach sent him back 4 times in the recently concluded series.

To put that into perspective, before the England series, Cheteshwar Pujara had gotten out to left-arm spinners only 5 times in his Test career, and had an average of 160.8. But playing with his bat alongside or behind his front pad (instead of in front of it) and unconvicing footwork has meant that Pujara hasn't been comfortable against the incoming ball.

Until a couple of years ago, Pujara's strategy against the spinners was infallible. He would dance down the track, get to the pitch of the ball, and use his supple wrists to whip the ball through mid-wicket or down the ground. The subsequent over-correction from the bowler would be dealt with by going deep in the crease and scything the ball away to the boundary.

Lately, spinners have been reluctant to toss the ball up against Cheteshwar Pujara. Leach and Lyon are not bowlers who are particularly quick through the air, but they've made a conscious effort to be a bit flatter and sharper. And Pujara has either been stuck on the crease or not to the pitch of the ball.

The increased use of the DRS also hasn't favoured an old-fashioned batsman like Cheteshwar Pujara. He can no longer pad the ball away with freedom, even if he has taken a few steps down the track.

---

What does Cheteshwar Pujara's future with the Indian team hold?

Cheteshwar Pujara is still India's best option at No. 3

It's important to understand the value that Cheteshwar Pujara brings to the team, even if he isn't tallying centuries like he once was. The 33-year-old has played a number of absolutely crucial knocks in the recent past, with his fighting innings at The Gabba and twin fifties at the SCG still fresh in memory.

With his experience and tenacity, Pujara adds a different dimension to an Indian middle order that is misfiring at the moment. While captain Kohli has a century drought of his own to deal with, Ajinkya Rahane has blown hot and cold at No. 5.

India's inability to put on big opening partnerships has also increased the weight of responsibility on Cheteshwar Pujara's shoulders. And while he certainly isn't in the form of his life, he's a vital part of the Indian batting lineup in Test cricket.

Pujara's recent indifferent performances can be excused because he hadn't played any top-level cricket during the pandemic. But with no domestic first-class cricket scheduled in the immediate future, he needs to find a way to iron out the chinks in his armour and make a rip-roaring return to red-ball cricket for the country.

Although Cheteshwar Pujara's century drought is definitely not ideal, fans of the Indian team shouldn't be too worried - it's only a matter of time.