Pujara Did What Gill and Root Wouldn't...

‘A real old-school No. 3. And he had to take over from one of the all-time great No. 3s in Rahul Dravid’

‘Joe Root doesn't want to do it. Shubman Gill doesn't want to do it’

While modern greats like Shubman Gill and Joe Root shy away from batting at No. 3, Nasser Hussain says Cheteshwar Pujara embraced the challenge and carried forward Rahul Dravid’s legacy with distinction.

Speaking on the Sky Sports YouTube channel, Hussain’s comments came soon after Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of the game on August 24. Hussain praised the Indian stalwart for embracing the challenge of succeeding Rahul Dravid and becoming a rock at one of the toughest batting spots in cricket.

“A real old-school No. 3. And he had to take over from one of the all-time great No. 3s in Rahul Dravid. It's something that's a little bit lacking in international cricket—No. 3s. Even on the England side, Joe Root doesn't want to do it. Shubman Gill doesn't want to do it for India since he has the captaincy. He wants to bat at 4,” Hussain said.

Explaining the value of the position, Hussain compared Pujara to some of the game’s greatest names. “In our era, your No. 3 was your best player, whether it be Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting, or Rahul Dravid. Not an easy position to do, but Pujara did it as well as anyone,” he added.

Hussain went on to highlight how Pujara’s presence shielded India’s middle order, allowing stroke-makers like Virat Kohli to flourish.

“Another one of the old-school batters is gone. A bat-for-your-life and over-my-dead-body sort of batter that played the ball late and produced some great innings, especially in Australia. He was loved by Indian fans for playing like that. And he protected the middle order, with the likes of Kohli in there, from the new ball. Working with him, he's exactly how he was when he batted—very calm, quietly spoken, and talks a lot of sense,” Hussain said.