Cricket- 'Could have created opportunity to rotate little bit more strike': Dale Steyn on Cheteshwar Pujara

Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed on a low score on Day 2 of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand at Rose Bowl in Southampton. He scored just 8 runs off 54 balls and was dismissed by Neil Wagner. 

ALSO READ: Cricket: 'Has temperament to become great player': Gavaskar lauds Gill's knock

South African pacer Dale Steyn felt that Pujara could have played freely and rotated the strike better. Cheteshwar Pujara played just two scoring shots out of 54 deliveries he faced. These shots were back-to-back boundaries off Wagner. 

"You want to see somebody like Pujara. Now he faced 50 balls and we know that this is kind of player that he is. But I'm sure if he looked back and looked at the sample of video analysis, he would find that there are deliveries there where he could have created the opportunity to maybe rotate a little bit more strike. I saw something come up and it was like 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 4, 4, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and then a wicket. I'm sure in all those 50 balls, he could have rotated strike and just gotten that scoring to nudge on a little bit for himself and as well as his team." Steyn said on ESPNCricinfo.

According to Steyn, Indian batters must keep rotating strikes as they resume the play on Day 3. Despite Pujara walling cheap, India mamanged to score 146/3, with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane holding the fort currently. 

"India would be happy that they haven’t lost as many wicket but they want to be able to keep that scoreboard ticking and keep that rotation going. These are clichés of the game but they all do matter," added Steyn.