Pujara’s contract with English county Sussex ends; Unadkat to continue stint
Pujara's Saurashtra teammate Jaydev Unadkat has linked up with Sussex to continue his County Championship stint from the previous season.
Host India got to a steady 86/1 by lunch on Day 1 of the one-off Test against Bangladesh, with Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara steadying nerves after KL Rahul had been dismissed early on in the day.
Skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat, but it would be Bangladesh who would claim first blood in a match that has largely been billed as India’s for the taking.
Seamer Taskin Ahmed bowled KL Rahul in the very first over itself, with an inside edge hitting the stumps, sending him back to the pavilion with just two runs to his name. The talented opener’s trend of either scoring big runs or getting out early continued at Hyderabad, much to the dismay of the crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
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Rahul’s opening partner, Murali Vijay, and Pujara (34*) then shifted the momentum back in the hosts’ favour, with a second-wicket partnership of 84 runs, with Vijay in sight of a half-century.
While Pujara’s strike-rate of 44.82 was typical of his slow and steady style, Vijay was the aggressor, hitting six boundaries in his innings of 45*. The Bangladeshi bowlers, by and large, didn't trouble the batsmen much, but a mix-up between the duo on a routine run led to a tense situation but thankfully, a run-out was averted.
Should the two build on their excellent work in the first half of the day, the hosts will well and truly be in command of the test at a venue in which India are unbeaten in Tests.
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