India Blue’s marathon innings ended on 707 at stumps on the second day of their 2016-17 Duleep Trophy match against India Green, after centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara and Sheldon Jackson
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Cheteshwar Pujara scored his 32nd first-class century from his favoured No. 3 position•Associated Press
India Blue’s marathon innings ended on 707 at stumps on the second day of their Duleep Trophy match against India Green. Cheteshwar Pujara (166) and Sheldon Jackson (105) joined Mayank Agarwal as first-innings centurions as India Blue ground India Green into submission in Greater Noida on Monday.On an unhelpful surface that offered neither swing nor turn, India Green made matters worse for themselves, handing reprieves to batsmen through no-balls and dropped catches. Some of the batsmen who benefited from these lapses did not capitalise, but these were small mercies for India Green.India Blue’s towering first-innings total gives them a significant advantage as they look to push for a lead that would take them through to the final against India Red. India Blue are already ahead of India Green on the points table, by virtue of the point they earned through the washout against India Red.Resuming on 63, Pujara played a chanceless innings, almost never taking the aerial route – he hit 24 fours, but not a single six. Pujara seemed equally at ease against spin and pace and didn’t seem troubled at all, irrespective of the length. He eventually fell for 166 off 280 after an inside-edge onto the stumps. Failing to pick a Shreyas Gopal googly and seeing that it was short, Pujara made room to cut. But with the ball spinning back in, it was too close to the body and he chopped on. “Even when I was facing spinners, it was very difficult to pick the googly under lights,” Pujara said after his dismissal. “A little difficult to pick the seam on the pink ball.”Pujara said that facing up to the new ball under lights on the opening day was the toughest phase of his innings. “This was my first game with the pink ball. I enjoyed batting on this wicket. There wasn’t much help for the fast bowlers. The most difficult session was the third session [on the first day], under lights, when they took the second new ball. It moved about and came on faster.”Pujara’s 32nd first-class century came from his preferred No. 3 position, although he acknowledged the importance of being adaptable. “Sometimes, you have to be prepared to bat at any number. If given a choice, and because I have scored so many runs at No. 3, I know how to bat there, I know how to build an innings. Given a choice, I would like to bat at No. 3, but I’m happy to bat wherever.”By the time Pujara was dismissed, Jackson had already raced to 26 off 31 balls and had added 46 runs for the sixth wicket. Jackson brought a different style to the table, stepping down to the spinners at will and unafraid to launch the ball in the air. Where Pujara was all patience and grind, Jackson provided a neat study in contrast with his brute force and muscle. He had his slice of luck – he was dropped by M Vijay at slip on 74 – but otherwise provided a brilliant display of clean hitting. He brought up his 10th first-class century with a drilled boundary down the ground off Shreyas.”I consider myself lucky; I was dropped in the 70s,” Jackson said. “The wicket was good and the ball was coming on nicely. When the new ball comes, it gets difficult [to sight it] because the speed changes, the ball skids on at good pace, so making the minor adjustment takes a little bit of time.”Every match I score is important, but to score in such matches is very important because it is live and people are watching. It [the surface] should behave a little differently on days 3 and 4. Both the sides [of the ball] are scuffed up a little bit.”Jackson found good support from Parvez Rasool, who scored 25, and Karn Sharma, who stroked his way to 57. By the time he fell – holing out to long-on to give Shreyas his fifth wicket and bring the innings to a close – he had ensured India Green were buried under a mountain of runs.
