Cheteshwar Pujara played perhaps the most decisive knock of his Test career; he not only notched up a century but made sure India remain afloat on a day when the rest of the batting order wilted away.
He was assured, looked calm, and played according to his own strengths and even carried the lower order with him. He showed glimpses of his form in Trent Bridge and now batting coach Sanjay Bangar says that Pujara rectified the technical glitches which had crept into his game.
'He showed great discipline in his judgement'
"Right from where he got in to play at Lord's to how he batted in Nottingham and whatever he did out here, he showed a lot of composure, clarity of thought and great discipline in his judgement outside off," he said on Friday evening.
Speaking about the first Test in Birmingham where he was left out, Bangar said that Pujara was not in the right mental space after a string of low scores and his balance at the crease was also not correct.
"He had to get his balance right and also had to get his footwork right. Those were the two areas we worked on as a support-staff group -- including Ravi (Shastri) and myself. It's heartening the work he put in was duly rewarded," he further added.
Speaking about his temperament, Bangar said that they believed that once he is set, he will get on a roll and runs will come for him which is exactly what happened. The batting coach also praised him for working around beautifully with the tail and the fact that he executed his shots really well and mixed caution with aggression.
"Talent cannot be seen merely in class, but in bloodyminded-ness too. He showed mental strength, patience and the concentration today. If you have those characteristics you can show that even if you have some limitations in terms of scoring areas or not possessing all the strokes you can become an effective Test player. That is what he showed today," Bangar pointed out.
However, he also criticised Hardik Pandya and R Ashwin for their strokes and pointed out that both the strokes were rather soft and the batsmen did not keep in mind the bigger picture and interest of the team.
