The right-hander sacrificed flair for efficiency in his industrious 74 as the tourists reached 233-6 at stumps after opting to bat in the series opener. Wriddhiman Saha, on nine, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is 15 not out, will return on Friday hoping to continue India's march towards the 300-mark. "For a 300-plus total, it's important to play well in the first two sessions," Pujara said to explain his dour batting. The usually aggressive Kohli proved he could be an excellent accumulator too as he followed his 68-run partnership with the obdurate Pujara with an 88-run collaboration with deputy Rahane before being sold down the river. Rahane's indecision over a single resulted in Kohli being run out after a resolute knock which included eight fours.

Source: bd News24 December 17, 2020 12:22 UTC