Cheteshwar Pujara coming on to bat way down at No. 6 on Day I of the Ranji Trophy final here was really baffling.

But later, it was learnt that the India Test No. 3 batsman was suffering from throat infection, which was the reason behind his late arrival at the crease. “Since the eve of the game, Pujara wasn’t feeling well. This morning he said he felt feverish.

“He is having a throat infection, so that’s why he couldn’t continue today. But we feel he should be better to resume batting tomorrow,” said a member of the Saurashtra squad.

So far, Pujara has scored five runs off 24 balls. He flicked Ishan Porel for a four past mid wicket off just the second delivery he faced.

Having lost their last three wickets for only 43, Saurashtra would seriously hope for Pujara to recover quickly.

On the other hand, Bengal are extremely annoyed with the pitch on offer at the SCA Stadium. The ball has been keeping low from the very first session with hardly any carry or bounce whatsoever.

“This is a very, very poor pitch. You can’t have such a pitch for a final,” head coach Arun Lal said.

“It’s already dusty out there and the ball is keeping low. No bounce, no carry, nothing...

“The BCCI should look into such things. If needed, the Board curator should be at the venue even 15 days before the final (in order to supervise the pitch preparation).

“Our bowlers have done a pretty good job so far on such a wicket,” Lal added.

Saurashtra No. 3 batsman Vishvarajsinh Jadeja, who hit 54, said batting wasn’t very easy on the SCA Stadium pitch.