Ind vs SA, 1st Test: In trouble, India dial Murali Vijay-Cheteshwar Pujara again

At Mohali, one of the two, at some point in their game-changing partnership of 86, would have said, “It’s been a while.” The monstrous run feast at Hyderabad in 2013 against New Zealand, the grind against the swinging ball at Lord’s 2014 or the counter at Durban during the same year; the Pujara and Vijay act has joined forces in several tough terrains to ensure India that the early loss was a nothing but a minor scare.

This was 2015, the challenge on Friday was the turning ball and the low bounce. Once again, as they took India from 9/1 to 95/2 when Vijay got out to a stunning catch, India were positively thinking of a Test win.

WATCH Day 2 Review: Ashwin, Pujara give India edge (App users click here)

Besides the run-making, this was also about making a point for the two. For Vijay, returning after an injury, this was one chance to show that nothing was changed and he still happens to be India’s best bet against the swing, bounce or turning tracks. For Pujara, though, this was another big test, one among the several he has faced all through his career.

After sitting out three Test matches this year, Pujara only made to the team in the final Test of the Sri Lanka series, that too because of a long injury list. He had fallen out of favour of late. With Rohit Sharma in the mix, he was benched. The team director, Ravi Shastri, had even said that Pujara would make it to the team only when India plays 6 specialist batsmen. The match-winning 150 against Lanka won him Man of the Match award in the series-deciding Test match but, more importantly, he won the trust of the decision makers. In the opening Test, the tables were turned. Sharma, not finding a place in the playing XI, was getting ready to play Ranji Trophy, while Pujara had got his No.3 spot back.

It’s just two days into this new arrangement, rather a roll back of sorts, and the batting order suddenly looks settled. Vijay back as opener, Pujara one-drop followed by Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, the team seems to have a solidity that it previously lacked.

In Vijay and Pujara, India have batsmen who are contrastingly different but who thrive in each other’s company. As the South Africans saw on Friday, they have different strengths and areas of run-making. Temperamentally strong, they feed on each other.

Vijay is the more free-flowing of the two; Pujara more solid. Vijay would mostly leave the ball outside off stump, Pujara might on some occasions throw the kitchen sink at it and send it to the fence. The one stroke that they both play well is the flick off the legs.

For Vijay this was the seventh Test in a row where he has scored atleast a 50. Pujara ended up with an unbeaten 63 that had 6 fours and a six. Yes, a six with Kohli at the other end.