INDvENG: Ashwin becomes 14th player to play 100 Tests for India
India head coach Rahul Dravid presented a special memento to Ashwin on the occasion of his 100th Test match
India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored a gritty 50 in tough conditions on day one of the third Test against South Africa, said it was satisfying to get runs on “one of the toughest pitches he has played on”.
India were bowled out for 187 but according to Pujara, it was a competitive first innings total.
“It is as good as scoring 300 on a normal pitch. It is certainly one of the toughest pitches I have batted on. It was much tougher than one used for the first Test in Cape Town,” Pujara told host broadcaster SuperSport.
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“Overall we batted well. The runs on the board are sufficient and we can bowl them out. There was a lot of deviation and the pitch was initially very slow, but there was enough bounce. There was a lot of lateral movement and a lot of deviation off the cracks.”
South Africa ended the day at six for one, losing opener Aiden Markram.
“Our bowlers are used to bowling good lengths. I am sure they will do the needful tomorrow. It is very difficult to survive on this wicket,” Pujara said after scoring 50 off 179 balls.
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