Kohli said, “Pujara is someone who absorbs the pressure really well but after a certain stage in the innings there comes a time when the team needs runs. That’s where we felt that he has the ability to capitalise. It was just about conveying that to him.
“He has worked hard on his game. He scored at a good strike rate in the Duleep Trophy. Even on this wicket he was scoring at 65, almost 70 strike rate. To see Pujara bat that way was a revelation. Because he used to bat that way initially. Especially at home. If you look at his double hundreds against England and Australia, he dominated the spinners. That’s exactly what we wanted him to do.
“We didn’t want him to go into a shell. We want Pujara to bat to his potential. Once he starts scoring runs and with the composure he has, it becomes very difficult for the opposition to take control of the game. That’s all we wanted to convey to him. He’s someone who understands what the team wants.
“He has worked hard on his game. He has come back and he is playing more positively, which we appreciate as a team and I, personally, as captain.
“He has not told us ‘this is my comfort zone and I am not going to get out of it’. That is the kind of character we need to win games and series.
