India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has said that the win in Melbourne made India’s turnaround possible in the recently-concluded Test series against Australia, which they won 2-1 despite losing the first match.
“Great country to play cricket. Australia are a very competitive team. Our guys showed a lot of character and grit. It was very difficult to accept our low score in Adelaide. We took the rest of the series as a three-match series,” Pujara said to NDTV.
“The turnaround happened in Melbourne. Once we won in Melbourne and the series was 1-1, we knew we had a chance of winning the series.”
“Australia a good side but did not bat well. From second Test onwards, we achieved the goals that we set as a batting unit,” said Pujara.
Speaking about the upcoming Test series against England, Pujara gave a warning to his team and suggested the visitors to be not taken lightly.
“Looking forward to the England series. Most important aspect is to qualify for the World Test Championship final. The guys are aiming for that. They play good cricket in India. They have done well in Sri Lanka as well. We can’t take them lightly,” said Pujara ahead of the four-match series beginning in Chennai from February 5.
England cricketers Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Rory Burns are all set to begin training for the upcoming four-match Test series against India on Saturday at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) informed on Saturday.
The ECB further said that unlike the rest of the squad that remains in quarantine, the all-rounder, pacer and the opener would resume training ealrier. The full English team “will train for the first time on Tuesday afternoon”.
Stokes, Archer and Burns had arrived in India directly from England before the rest of their teammates who were in Sri Lanka to participate in the two test series. The English contingent from the island nation arrived in India on Wednesday earlier this week.