India’s batting coach, Sanjay Bangar criticised Hardik Pandya and Ravichandran Ashwin for their careless shot selection on Day 2 of the fourth Test against England in Southampton. It was the brilliant spell of Moeen Ali which restricted India to a total of 273 despite having lost just two wickets for 142. 

After the crucial dismissal of Virat Kohli by Sam Curran, the Indian batting line-up collapsed like dominos and soon they after down to 195-8. Talking about the same, Bangar said, Pandya and Ashwin would’ve applied themselves a little more, it could’ve been a better outing for India. He said, “We thought two dismissals were pretty soft. Hardik really wasn’t on top of the ball while driving and Ashwin attempted a reverse sweep at a pretty early stage in his innings. If he was set and batting with the tail, one could have thought that shot was on.”

ALSO READ: Sanjay Bangar praised Indian batsmen for their improvement

With Cheteshwar Pujara’s resilience, India managed to take a 27-run as he went on to score his first century on the English soil, ending the innings on a magnificent 132 not out. Naturally, Bangar was mighty pleased by Pujara’s effort. “Right from where he got in to play at Lord’s to how he batted in Nottingham and whatever he did out here, he showed a lot of composure, clarity of thought and great discipline in his judgment outside off.”

When asked about the fact that why a batsman like Pujara was dropped for the first Test at Edgbaston, Bangar replied that he was coming off a rough patch and also he was struggling in certain areas where he has now worked on. He also said that Pujara’s hunger for runs is well-known and it augurs well for the India team. 

A composed Pujara came to the crease in the eighth over of India’s innings and batted superbly, sharing a 92-run partnership with Kohli before putting on 78 for the last two wickets with tailenders Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.

ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma To Lead In Asia Cup 2018

Describing Pujara’s knock, Sanjay said, “He showed mental strength, patience, and the concentration today. If you have those characteristics you can show that even if you have some limitations in terms of scoring areas or not possessing all the strokes you can become an effective Test player. That is what he showed today. He executed his shots really well because you saw a great mix of caution and aggression. You also saw another facet of his batsmanship wherein he showed us a glimpse of what he could do when he is batting with the tail.”