BAN vs IND: Mohammad Kaif urges Cheteshwar Pujara to celebrate animatedly
India registered a series sweep 2-0 against hosts Bangladesh in the second and final Test match at Mirpur. Cheteshwar Pujara was adjudged as the Player of the Series. He played a vital role in the first Test, where he managed to put an end to his international century drought.
Pujara mustered 90 and an unbeaten 102 runs across both innings in the first Test. Both the innings proved to be key in the victory against the Bangla Tigers. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif made a rather hilarious request to the Test specialist following the win in Mirpur.
“After scoring a hundred, your celebration is just too simple. Kuch karo bhai, bat ghumao, aise punch karo (do something, show your bat, punch in the air) because they show those visuals a lot on TV so people will also remember that yes Pujara has been scoring runs. Or else the talk is always on strike rate or how slow you play,” told Kaif in a post-match interview as quoted by HT.
“Yeh jo trophy mila hai na, pappi do trophy ko, social media mein daalo (This trophy that you got, kiss that trophy, put that picture on social media) and tell people that you played well and made a superb comeback to win the Player of the Series award. Please, Pujara,” requested the former cricketer.
More than celebrations, I believe in contributing for the team: Cheteshwar Pujara
The request made by Kaif in the post-match interview left Pujara dumbstruck. However, the latter elegantly responded stating that he believes in ‘contributing for the team’.
“The fact that I am scoring runs is enough for me. My bat does all the talking. More than celebrations, I believe in runs and contributing for the team. Celebrating too much is not part of my nature,” responded Pujara.
India’s win over Bangladesh has helped them solidify their second place in the ICC World Test Championship standings. This essentially means that the side is inching closer to a spot in the summit clash of the global ICC event for the 2021-23 cycle. Their next red-ball assignment comes against WTC Table toppers, Australia at home starting February 9.
