“I think it’s a good challenge for us,” Pujara said. “Yes we are 2-1 ahead in the series, but at the same time this is the most important Test match of the series. And as you mentioned it is after a long time. So we just need to regroup. We just need to understand our strengths.
“The good part for us is we are here early. There is plenty of time to prepare for all the payers. And yeah, if we play to our potential, if we stick to our strength, understand what we need as a team and what had given us success in those four Test matches which we played here, we just need to repeat those things.
“But at the same time there are some changes in the England squad. So we need to understand their strength and then try and have a strategy – I’m sure the support staff and management will talk about strategy later. But we need to plan it well for this particular Test match.”
“It is important to bat well in phases,” Pujara said when asked about his game plan. “You have to bat well throughout but you need to understand important phases of the game. Like with the Dukes ball, when it is new, you need to make sure that you don’t lose too many wickets early on. And as a batter, you need to be a little compact, you need to concentrate a little harder than what you do with the old ball.
“And there are times when bowlers are charged up and they are bowling a really good spell. You need to understand that. You need to respect that. And there are also times when you can accelerate, when you understand that the ball is not doing well and the bowlers are a little tired and you need to capitalise on those moments. It’s always good to score runs, especially when you are playing in England when the ball keeps doing something throughout the day.”