Nasser Hussain names THIS player India’s finest number three batter

Former England captain Nasser Hussain on Tuesday paid glowing tribute to Cheteshwar Pujara, praising his resilience and impact as India’s number three in Test cricket, particularly after stepping into the shoes of legendary batter Rahul Dravid.

Speaking to British media, Hussain pointed out that many modern batting stars avoid the challenging number three position, highlighting Pujara’s unique role.

“A real old-school number three. And he had to take over from one of the all-time great number three in Rahul Dravid. It’s something that’s a little bit lacking in international cricket, proper number three.

“Even in the England side, Joe Root doesn’t want to do it. Shubman Gill doesn’t want to do it for India since he has got the captaincy and prefers to bat at four,” Hussain said.

The former cricketer underlined how Pujara shielded the middle order by weathering the new ball, allowing stroke-makers like Virat Kohli to flourish.

“In our era, your number three was your best player whether it was Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting, or Rahul Dravid. Not an easy position to play, but Pujara did it as well as anyone,” he remarked.

Hussain also praised Pujara’s match-defining contributions in Australia, where he was instrumental in India’s famous Test series wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

“Another one of the old-school batters is gone. A bat-for-your-life, over-my-dead-body sort of batter, who played the ball late and produced great innings, especially in Australia. Indian fans loved him for that.

“He protected the middle order from the new ball and gave them a platform. Working with him, he’s exactly like how he batted, very calm, quietly spoken, and full of sense,” Hussain concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket last week.

Pujara represented the national side in 103 Tests and five ODIs after making his debut in 2010. He scored 7,195 runs in the longest format at an average of 43.60, with 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries.

At home, he averaged an impressive 52.58, amassing 3,839 runs. His last Test appearance came in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023.

He is also one of only three Indian players alongside ML Jaisimha and Ravi Shastri to bat on all five days of a Test.