{"id":2075,"date":"2026-09-19T08:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T08:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/19\/pat-cummins-names-pujara-toughest-indian-opponent\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T08:38:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T08:38:01","slug":"pat-cummins-names-pujara-toughest-indian-opponent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/19\/pat-cummins-names-pujara-toughest-indian-opponent\/","title":{"rendered":"Pat Cummins names Cheteshwar Pujara as toughest Indian opponent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Australian Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins recently highlighted the difficulty of dismissing India\u2019s former Test mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara. In a promotional clip produced for Prime Video Sport, Cummins was asked to single out the most challenging opponent from each of the major cricketing nations. He responded that the Indian batsman presented the greatest obstacle, likening the experience to \u201cdeath by a thousand papercuts.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Why Pujara stood out for Cummins<\/h2>\n<p>During the 2018\u201119 and 2020\u201121 Border\u2011Gavaskar Trophy contests, Pujara repeatedly thwarted the Australian pace attack that featured Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins himself. The right\u2011handed batsman\u2019s ability to occupy the crease for extended periods frustrated the visitors, often turning matches into battles of attrition.<\/p>\n<p>Statistically, Pujara\u2019s record against Australia underscores his resilience. In 25 Test encounters with the Australians he amassed 2,074 runs at an average of 49.38. Nearly half of those runs \u2013 993 \u2013 were scored on Australian soil, where he registered three centuries and five half\u2011centuries, with a top score of 193.<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on those contests, Cummins said, \u201cIndia, I\u2019m going to say Pujara. Really hard to get out. Happy to face 100 dot balls if he wanted to. Not going to give you a chance.\u201d The comment captures the bowler\u2019s respect for a player who could weather sustained pressure without yielding wickets.<\/p>\n<h2>Other retired greats on Cummins\u2019 list<\/h2>\n<p>When the conversation shifted to other nations, Cummins chose only players who have already concluded their international careers. From New\u202fZealand he named Brendon McCullum, now the white\u2011ball coach of England, recalling \u201ca couple of times when he was really going hard at the top of the order.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regarding Pakistan, Cummins singled out Saeed Ajmal, recalling a moment that left a lasting impression: \u201cIt was like the last ball of the over; I walked in, Saeed Ajmal just goes, and I went, what? Clean bowled. I have never seen anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The English representative on his list was Sir Alastair Cook, while AB de Villiers represented South Africa, Tillakaratne Dilshan stood for Sri Lanka, and Chris Gayle was the pick for the West Indies. Each of these names, like Pujara, has retired from international cricket, a point Cummins emphasized during the interview.<\/p>\n<h2>Career milestones of the highlighted players<\/h2>\n<p>Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from international cricket last year after a distinguished career spanning 103 Test matches. He finished with 7,195 runs at an average of 43.6, including 19 centuries and 35 half\u2011centuries. In the limited\u2011overs arena he appeared in five ODIs, contributing 51 runs.<\/p>\n<p>While Cummins\u2019 remarks centered on Pujara\u2019s defensive prowess, the broader context of their encounters reflects a period when Australia\u2019s fast bowlers were forced to adapt to a batsman whose primary weapon was endurance. The repeated \u201cdeath by a thousand papercuts\u201d analogy conveys the cumulative effect of relentless, short\u2011range bowling that eventually wears down a batsman\u2019s concentration.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond Pujara, the other players mentioned have left indelible marks on the game. Brendon McCullum, known for his explosive opening style, transitioned to a coaching role that now shapes England\u2019s white\u2011ball strategy. Saeed Ajmal, a master of spin, was celebrated for his ability to extract turn and bounce, a skill that once left Cummins \u201cclean bowled.\u201d Sir Alastair Cook, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle each contributed signature styles that defined eras for their respective nations.<\/p>\n<p>By selecting only retired cricketers, Cummins underscored the lasting impression these opponents have made on his career. Their achievements remain part of cricket\u2019s collective memory, and his comments provide a rare glimpse into how a leading fast bowler evaluates the challenges posed by world\u2011class batsmen.<\/p>\n<p>In sum, Pat Cummins\u2019 tribute to Cheteshwar Pujara not only celebrates a personal rivalry but also highlights the broader narrative of modern Test cricket, where endurance, technique and mental fortitude often decide outcomes as much as raw skill.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Australian captain Pat Cummins called Cheteshwar Pujara the hardest Indian bowler to dismiss, recalling the grueling battles of recent Border\u2011Gavaskar series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[2202,2201,1739,2200,2203],"class_list":["post-2075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-australia-cricket","tag-cheteshwar-pujara","tag-india-cricket","tag-pat-cummins","tag-retired-players","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}