"You have to attack him early" - Aaron Finch on what should be Australia's gameplan against Cheteshwar Pujara in the WTC final

Aaron Finch believes Australia will have to attack Cheteshwar Pujara early in his innings to get rid of him quickly in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

India will face Australia in the WTC final at The Oval in London from Wednesday, June 7. Pujara is expected to be one of the mainstays of the Indian batting lineup, and Pat Cummins and Co. will want to knock him over quickly.

During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Finch was asked about the gameplan Australia should adopt against Cheteshwar Pujara. The former Aussie opener recalled his team's plight on the 2018-19 tour and highlighted that the dogged batter will have to be challenged early in his innings, stating:

"Remember back to 2018, he batted for so long. We had an ODI series after it and the guys said if Pujara walks out to bat at No. 3 in this ODI series, we are going home, because he just ground everyone down."

Finch added:

"He is a fantastic player. You have to attack him early. I think you have to challenge his front-foot defense in his first 10 balls. The first 10 is when everybody is at their most vulnerable, no different for him."

Pujara amassed 521 runs at an outstanding average of 74.42 in India's 2018-19 tour of Australia. He scored three centuries and a fifty in seven innings and played out 1258 deliveries in the process.

---

"Once he gets in, he is so hard to remove and you need something special" - Aaron Finch on Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara has acclimatized himself to English conditions by playing county cricket for Sussex.

Aaron Finch wants the Australian bowlers to force Cheteshwar Pujara to drive the ball, explaining:

"You have to be prepared to pitch it right up, get him driving early. If you let him just leave the ball on the back foot, nice and pretty bowling as it's called, once he gets in, he is so hard to remove and you need something special."

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckons Nathan Lyon has formulated a gameplan against Pujara lately, elaborating:

"Nathan Lyon will also play a big part in that. I think he has finally worked out a little bit more of a plan against Pujara. When you are over the wicket, he runs down and defends away. When you are around the wicket, he stands there and just knocks it in the line."

Lyon has dismissed Pujara 13 times in Test cricket but India's No. 3 batter averages a decent 43.8 against him. However, the off-spinner dismissed the right-hander on three occasions in India's home series against Australia earlier this year and conceded only 49 runs in the process.