"You have to take 20 wickets": Cheteshwar Pujara reflects on India's bowling weakness

Cheteshwar Pujara (Pic: File Pic)

Team India Test veteran Cheteshwar Pujara reflected on the visitor's bowling weakness in the ongoing Test series against Australia. He also said that the Indians need to take 20 wickets, reported Star Sports.

The five-match Test series between India and Australia is currently tied at 1-1. As the third Test match ended in a draw, the fourth Test match will kick start on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Team India's Jasprit Bumrah is the only pacer who shone in the ongoing Test series from the visitor's perspective. He is currently the highest wicket-taker in the series with 21 wickets with an average of 10.90. So far, he has two five-wicket hauls and one four-wicket haul in the series.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports, Pujara said that the Indian bowling attack is looking a little weak at the ongoing BGT series.

Also Read: IND vs AUS 4th Test: Massive milestone hunt for Steve Smith, Pat Cummins ahead of Boxing Day Test

"My biggest question and the reason for a little bit of concern is that the Indian bowling is looking a little weak. Batting is a little better, like the top five didn't do well, but the middle order and lower middle order, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitesh, and even tail enders, Bumrah and Akash Deep contributed with the bat," Cheteshwar Pujara was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying.

Cheteshwar Pujara highlighted that the three speedsters are very good but there is not enough support from the other two bowlers.

"Now, there is a weakness in the bowling, so what will you feed the team? That is the biggest question, because you can't drop Nitish, you can't drop Jadeja, so what will be the team combination? Ashwin has taken retirement, so two spinners, I don't think they will play in Melbourne. So, how will you strengthen the bowling? Because the three seamers are very good, but their supporting role, fourth and fifth seamer, Nitish Kumar is the fourth seamer and Ravindra Jadeja is the fifth bowler," he added.

He further added that the visitors need to bag 20 wickets in a game to win the match.

"If you add both of them together, the bowling is not that good. We will have to think about that, because if you want to win a test match, then you have to take 20 wickets, and the ability to take 20 wickets is not that good, the supporting role of the other bowlers is not good, so we will have to improve that as soon as possible, and how that will be, I don't know, but that is a big question," he further added.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.

(With ANI Inputs)