Peter Roebuck

Cheteshwar Pujara’s partnerships with Murali Vijay and Sachin Tendulkar were the most significant parts of India’s victory over a struggling Australian outfit. Suddenly India can be more confident about the future. Everyone knows that the present is in good hands.

Pujara proved that it is possible for a young batsman to make the grade in 2010. Everyone knew gifted youngsters could make crores of rupees and crack lots of sixers but there is more to cricket than that. Could they match the dedication of previous generations? Could they learn to play off both feet and adjust to different conditions? Could they play long innings?

Affirmative answers

Pujara answered these questions in the affirmative. Other worries were also addressed. Could the new brigade remain hungry when already rich at 23 and surrounded by the shallow lifestyle that celebrity bestows? In bygone days aspiring cricketers could not make a living from the game till they had proved themselves fifty times. Not that the old days were so great. Just that they did separate the genuine from the impostor.

Pujara passed every test

At the crease he displayed skill as well as grit. In the first innings he sat with his pads on for hours only to be beaten by a grubber.

Significantly he did not let his bad luck prey on his mind. Instead he seized the chance so thoughtfully provided by his captain to give India’s tricky chase exactly the start it needed.

Clearly it can be done. Certainly it was only one innings. Pujara might not play even in the next match. Certainly it is not wise to proclaim the arrival of a new champion. But the youngster has shown that modern boys can be as single-minded as previous generations. No more excuses can be made.

Character

Character is more important than context. Pujara’s partnership with Vijay was vital because of the position of the match and the promise it made about India’s future.

And it was a partnership. They ran well between wickets and chose their shots intelligently.

Vijay watches the ball closely and plays straight. Perhaps he does not move forward as decisively as his comrade but his temperament is sound.

Pujara too is a proper batsman. Admittedly he faced only 10 balls from Johnson and 14 from Hilfenhaus but that was hardly his fault.

Tendulkar’s arrival introduced another facet. Here was the master and the apprentice batting together. Pujara’s emergence will help to keep Tendulkar young.

He has always enjoyed mixing with the younger element and now can concentrate on passing on his knowledge to a boy eager to listen.

Besides batting, Tendulkar can teach his protégé how to handle the pressures of life in the spotlight. These are the most vital lessons of them all. Pujara might well be lucky with his timing.

Not so long ago a bunch of capable batsmen emerged only to find that the door was closed and likely to stay that way for a decade.

They had to grab every chance that came along and pray for miracles. None of them left an indelible mark. Perhaps they were not quite good enough. Something broke inside.

Pujara, Vijay and Rohit Sharma know that the door will soon open and remain open.

They are in the right place at the right time. At present the elders are playing well but nothing lasts for ever.

They can also hope to live in a time of transparency. After all the IPL clean up is underway.

The message is clear. Life after Tendulkar might not be so bad. Some of these newcomers can play a bit as well.

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This article was first published for The Hindu. 16 October 2010.