While most Indian players are busy playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Cheteshwar Pujara is in England playing for Yorkshire in County Championship Division One. It seems like Pujara is struggling to get into the groove on English pitches. He has only been able to score 42 runs from 5 innings in this season. But it was against Essex that Yorkshire hit a collective low. They got bundled out for just 50 runs in the first innings.
A batting line-up that boasted of English skipper Joe Root, one of the fab-four players of the generation. Wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow, too, failed to make a mark, scoring just 7 runs. However, it was Root whose wicket sparked debates as he got out for a golden duck.
Pujara’s wicket:
| Essex on fire here this morning. Steve is trapped LBW by @jamieporter93 for 9 as Yorkshire slump to 11-4 #ESSvYOR #Pujara pic.twitter.com/vZeakGuo7Z
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) May 4, 2018
Root’s wicket:
| Getting the England Captain out for a golden duck… yeah, why not @samcook09!
Caught Chef, Bowled Little Chef! #ESSvYOR pic.twitter.com/Y4w84VP59R
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) May 4, 2018
Pujara scored just 9 runs from 11 deliveries and got trapped in front of the wicket by James Porter. The whole Yorkshire team could play just 18.4 overs in the first innings. Barring Yorkshire skipper Gary Ballance none of the batsman scored in double digits. Ballance was the last batsman to get out. He scored 22 runs from 41 deliveries.
Bairstow’s wicket –
| Brook, Lyth, Root and now Jonny Bairstow. All in a day’s work for @samcook09! #ESSvYOR pic.twitter.com/B5eUr0n7qL
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) May 4, 2018
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Samuel Cook took a fifer whereas Australian quick Peter Siddle picked up four wickets. The pitch seemed to support the fast bowlers as Essex top order faltered as well. English opener and highest Test run-scorer Alastair Cook got out for a duck as well.
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Root, Bairstow and Pujara had registered themselves for IPL 2018 auctions but did not find any buyers. Root, Bairstow had a base price of Rs 1.5 crore whereas Pujara had a base price of Rs 75 lakh.
