IND vs BAN 1st Test: ‘You can’t relax on this pitch,’ says Pujara

“Every ball was not turning and that is a more dangerous situation. It was a nice challenge to have. You can’t relax on this pitch...,” Cheteshwar Pujara said after his knock of 90 off 203 balls on the first day.

India’s Cheteshwar Pujara is dismissed by Bangladesh’s Taijul Islam during the first day of the first Test in Chattogram on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: AP

Ever the team man, Cheteshwar Pujara stated that missing out on a well-deserved century mattered little in the overall context of the match.

“The way I was batting, I am really happy,” Pujara said after the day’s end.

“It’s not an easy pitch. Sometimes we focus a lot on the three-figure marks, but here we needed those runs and the partnership was important. It was a good ball that got me. Every ball was not turning and that is a more dangerous situation. It was a nice challenge to have. You can’t relax on this pitch and at the same time the loose ball had to be punished because you can’t bat time.”

Pujara felt that 350 would be a good total. “We are happy with how the scoreboard looks,” he said. “We have three spinners. There was variable bounce on the pitch and I hope we make the most of it.”

Bangladesh’s Taijul Islam felt the contest was still even. “I don’t think we are in a bad position,” the 30-year-old said. “This is only the first day. If we had not made those mistakes it would have been better.”

On trapping Virat Kohli leg-before, Taijul said, “I have picked Virat earlier in my career so this doesn’t need to be the highlight.”