Sachin helped me in the nets, says Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara (113) and Rohit Sharma (111 not out) came to Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell party on Friday with memorable centuries.
By : irfan haji
Update: 2013-11-16 09:40 GMT
Mumbai: Cheteshwar Pujara (113) and Rohit Sharma (111 not out) came to Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell party on Friday with memorable centuries. Pujara was the most fortunate of the two having involved in a 144-run stand with the Master for the third wicket after India had lost both their openers at 77.
“It was difficult for me to concentrate initially due to constant roars from the crowd. But Sachin told me to stay focused and once I played a few balls it was easy for me to bat on,” said Pujara.
The Rajkot batsman had scored just 17 in the previous Test in Kolkata and had a long chat with Tendulkar, twice, in the nets on Wednesday to rectify mistakes.
“I was not playing well in the nets to the balls going through me. I was struggling against the outswingers a bit so he told me that my right shoulder is opening up a bit and I should be a bit side on. He also told me to have a little bigger stride and I tried doing it once I finished my net session and it helped,” he said.
Pujara said he was disappointed to see Sachin get out for 74 but he enjoyed his knock. “It is not easy to stay calm on your farewell but the way he batted only he can do it. He is always determined to score. There are many qualities to learn from Sachin,” he added.