Not Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar or Virender Sehwag: Graeme Swann reveals Indian batter he didn’t like to bowl to

Cheteshwar Pujara might not have been in contention for the Tests in recent years, but during his peak, he was one of the prolific scorers in the format for India across all conditions and was amongst one of the best players of spin.

Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann revealed that he did not like bowling to the 35-year-old. “The one batter I didn’t like bowling to was (Cheteshwar) Pujara because was very nimble on his feet,” Swann said in a podcast for Sky Sports Cricket.

Swann played a key role by picking up 20 wickets in the famous series win of England in India in 2012. However, he said, “It’s strange when I look back at the team they had — VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli — and the one that I didn’t like bowling to was Pujara.”

While the squad for the upcoming five-match Test series hasn’t been announced yet, it is doubtful that Pujara will be making the cut as Shubman Gill has been given opportunities at number three. The Indian veteran has scored a sublime double ton in the recently concluded first round of Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra against Jharkhand.

Don’t say anything to Virat Kohli

Swann also revealed their conversations about Kohli before the game before facing India. “We had been told beforehand to not say anything to this bloke (Virat Kohli) because he absolutely revels in a battle in the field and he loves chasing down totals. We knew what he could do in the white-ball format but back then he hadn’t really done anything in Test cricket,” Swann said.

The bowler also recalled an incident from an ODI match when fast bowler Steven Finn got into a spat with Kohli.

“Steven Finn got driven for a couple of incredible fours and he lost the plot and had a go at him and realised his mistake straight away. Virat roared up like a tiger and Finn just doubled down and got smashed everywhere,” Swann narrated.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.