Focus on batting, not on winning: Cheteshwar Pujaras advice to India as hosts look to avoid series defeat in Guwahati

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara shared crucial advice for the Indian team ahead of Day 5 of the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati. India are in trouble heading into the final day with only eight wickets in hand and an imposing target of 549 runs in front of them. The hosts will need to bat out of their skin to save the Test match and avoid a clean sweep in the two-match series.

With India in pursuit of a near-impossible target, Pujara has advised the hosts to focus on batting well throughout the day without thinking about the target or the result. Pujara believes going for the target might create more trouble for an already fragile batting line-up.

South Africa set an imposing 549-run target for India after continuing their domination with the bat on Day 4 of the 2nd Test in Guwahati on Tuesday. The Proteas rode on a fabulous knock of 94 runs from Tristan Stubbs to extend their lead to a staggering 548 runs after declaring their second innings on 260/5.

In reply, India's batting woes continued as they lost openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply towards the end of the day's play. Nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav then combined with Sai Sudharsan to guide India to 27/2 at stumps on Day 3. India need 522 runs on Day 5 to win the Test match or survive the entire day to pull off a draw.

"It feels like, in this match, the Indian team needs to think less about winning and more about batting well first, because the win always comes at the end. And if you look at that scorecard, when a number like 400-plus comes to your mind, your focus automatically shifts away from batting and more towards the final result — and that’s when your batting can never really be good," Pujara advised the Indian team, speaking on Star Sports.

Pujara, one of India's finest Test batters, was known for his resilience and astute defence in Tests. The former India batter wants the current Indian stars to take a leaf out of his book and focus on partnerships to play through the day. Pujara has urged the Indian batters not to think about the scoreboard and focus on spending time in the middle.

"So take the scorecard out of your mind. Whenever you get an opportunity to bat, focus only on your batting. Every single game is important in these conditions, so concentrate on the one in front of you. Try to build partnerships, and only after that should you look at the final result. For now, just focus on batting well," said Pujara.

India's batting line-up has severely underperformed in the ongoing Test series against South Africa so far. India are yet to cross the 300-run mark in the series, having suffered terrible batting collapses in both Test matches in Kolkata and Guwahati. However, the batters need to step up if India are to fancy their chances of saving the second Test to avoid getting clean swept in the series.

The onus will be on the likes of stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel and the experienced Ravindra Jadeja to spend time in the middle and help India secure a draw by playing through the final day of the Test match.