Pujara absorbs all pressure: Vijay

Pujara batted through the day to remain unbeaten on 130 and keep India afloat at 360 for six, 91 runs short of Australia’s first innings total of 451 on the third day of the third Test here. 

Heaping praise on Pujara, Vijay said: “Pujara has the game for it. He takes a lot pressure. His game is such that you can depend on him and play your natural game. It goes hand in hand. We both are in good form as well, so it helps the team at the moment.” 

Vijay and Pujara put up 102 runs together for the second wicket in the first session and successfully countered the Aussie pace attack. “I think the game is evenly-poised. If we can get closer to the target and may be if possible extend a lead from there, it would be a good game in hand. They were bowling really tight to be honest. Myself and Pujara had a talk in between, the main goal was to see off the initial phase. 

“We knew if we put them under pressure we can get lot of runs in second and third session. That was the basic idea. It came out pretty well. We could have been in much better position if I had not got out,” he said. 

Pacer Pat Cummins was the Australian wrecker-in-chief with figures of four for 59 in his comeback match after more than five years. “He was bowling really well. He was sharp in the early spell. Then he was trying to bowl one line to us but as soon as the wicket fell, he had extra gas,” he added. 

Vijay slammed 82 but failed to convert it into a hundred. “I was not disappointed because the shot was on. With mid-on, mid-off inside, I thought it was my shot but situation was wrong and the execution was not up to the mark.”