Anil Kumble helped me tackle Nathan Lyon: Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara disclosed how Anil Kumble helped him tackle Nathan Lyon in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Saurashtra batsman claimed that former India coach Anil Kumble's 2017 plan helped him face Nathan Lyon. Pujara, one of the heroes in the Test series win in Australia, talked about his batting approach. The batsman was much focused on the final day of the last Test against Australia in Brisbane. In the final test match, Pujara recorded his slowest half-century. The 33-year-old also took plenty of blows on his body but still stood like a rock at the crease. 

Pujara, the highest run-getter in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series, proved his worth in Australia. The right-handed batsman scored 273 even though he had not played any cricket for nearly ten months before the Tests Down Under. Pujara might have scored many runs in this series, but the amount of time he spent at the crease was very significant for the visitors. The number three batsman tackled the Australian bowling unit vigorously as he faced 928 deliveries in all the four test matches. 

Nathan Lyon scalped only nine wickets against India

Pujara and stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane were the only two Indian players who played all the 4 Tests. The Indian cricket team were forced to make changes in every game due to the squad's several injury concerns. On the contrary, Australia's spin king Nathan Lyon looked gloomy as the off-spinner could scalp nine wickets against India. The spinner picked up 21 wickets against India in the 2018-2019 series. Nathan Lyon could manage to pick Pujara's wicket once in the first innings in Adelaide. However, the right-handed batsman looked in command thereon. 

Cheteshwar Pujara was also India's second-highest run-scorer in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The batsman scored 273 runs at an average of 33.8. His three half-centuries in Sydney and Brisbane played a crucial role in India's historic win against Australia.

The Australians kickstarted their home summer on a positive note by defeating India by eight wickets in Adelaide's opening Test. However, Team India, who was led by stand-in skipper Rahane in Virat Kohli's absence, bounced back in the second match to level the series 1-1. In the third match, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin's unbelievable effort helped India draw the Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In the ultimate Test, India successfully retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

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