Asia Cup: Pujara and Aaron slog ahead of marquee match against Pakistan

Bangladesh: Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara who is yet to play a match in the Asia Cup, practiced hard along with pacer Varun Aaron on Saturday ahead of the must-win clash against Pakistan even as the other members of the team remained in the team hotel.

Bowling coach Joe Dawes was there to assist the duo as the former paceman first helped out Aaron, who bowled at a dummy batsman, before giving catching practice to both the Indian cricketers.

Pujara had only three bowlers, provided by the BCB, for his practice session. But the hard-working Indian did not mind as he slogged under the sun for about an hour. Pujara also showed a fine gesture gifting the net bowlers with some of his team India gear before obliging them with autographs.

There were his classical drives in full flow as Pujara also tried to use his feet more often, showing a positive intent. With the Indian middle order not showing the right temperament in absence of Dhoni, Pujara is seen as the most likely change to the line-up to bring stability in their must- win match against Pakistan on Sunday in Mirpur.

If he's drafted into the side which in all probability he would be, it will be a testing time for Pujara as he would have to reinvent himself to fit into the one-day scheme of things. Boasting a T20 strike rate of 104.66 from 34 matches, the Saurashtra batsman who has played only two ODIs has already shown his intent in the shortest version of the game. It would now be interesting to see how he goes about the one-day role if at all he gets a chance.

Meanwhile, Pakistani team had a practice session under their new cricket consultant Zaheer Abbas this morning. Pakistan and India find themselves on the same boat after one win and a loss each.