He lay flat on the ground for what seemed like eternity, even longer than his stay at the crease that had stretched over three sessions. He had faced 159 balls and laboured his way to 46, watching and analysing each of those deliveries with a microscope, before leaving or defending most of them. He hit just four boundaries off the worst of the worst deliveries. Even some rank half-volleys were spared, as he laid the anchor deeper than anyone had, while his partner scored a big hundred.

And then, out of the blue, he tucked the ball off his ribs towards square-leg and took off for a single that never was. He wasn’t quick off his feet and by the time he had launched into a dive at the non-striker’s end, the ball had hit the bullseye. The umpire asked for assistance from his colleague in front of the television, but Cheteshwar Pujara knew he was gone. As he lay flat on his stomach, staring into the grass, he must have hoped the ground would absorb him. What have I done!

India were still in a good position at 208/2, ahead of the West Indies’s 196 all out. Pujara had stitched together a 121-run second-wicket partnership with centurion KL Rahul. But that did not stop his critics from complaining about the fact that he was too slow, even by Test match standards, and is a liability for India. In Antigua, he had taken 89 deliveries to score 16 at a strike-rate of under 24. In Jamaica, his strike-rate for the innings was under 29.

“When it comes to Test cricket, I would still say that the strike-rate hardly matters as long as you are helping the team win,” Pujara told Cricbuzz in an interview recently. “If you win a Test in three days or four days or five days, it doesn't matter.” It mattered a lot to pundits such as cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, who told ESPNcricinfo that Pujara “worries me” as a batsman these days.

“When I look at him, it feels he is short on self confidence. He doesn’t look as authoritative in his defensive play as well, like he did at the start of his career. And I just wonder why because I thought that hundred against Sri Lanka [last year] would set him free and make him feel that he belongs in this Indian Test team. Maybe he is feeling a little insecure because all those signs are there when he bats for India these days and this wasn’t even a quality international attack. So, that batting performance by Pujara was slightly disheartening for me.”

Another former cricketer, Aakash Chopra, wrote this on Twitter:

Others on the microblogging platform were having some fun at the Saurashtra batsman’s expense:

Had Pujara batted so poorly? There are two ways to look at his innings.

There is no doubt that the 28-year-old is one of the most technically sound batsmen in the Test circuit. He’s got all the qualities of a pure Test cricketer: textbook shots, good technique and cool temperament. While patience is always a virtue in Test cricket, you have to balance it out by being positive. Pujara looked like he was happy just saving his wicket. It seemed as if he was desperately trying to keep his spot in the XI by not getting out, even if that meant not scoring runs. He even struggled against the West Indian seamers’ incoming deliveries.

With rain predicted in Kingston on Monday and Tuesday, there is a chance that a chunk of the play on both days could get washed out, which means India should score enough so that they wouldn’t have to bat again in the match and leave enough time for their bowlers to bowl the West Indies out. India’s lead of 162 at the end of Day 2 could have been at least 200 had their run-rate not been a miserly 2.86. Pujara’s strike-rate of 28.93 was way below that of India’s four other specialist batsmen, who were all in the 48-52 corridor. It’s clear that he was solely responsible for India’s low run-rate and could have cost them a win.

On the other hand, you could also say that Pujara had laid the foundation of a winning total for India. He had done the hard work of making the opposition bowling attack toil hard, taking the shine off the ball and keeping the centurion company, thereby ensuring that India is in firm control of the game. What is also easily forgotten is that Pujara’s international cricket is restricted to Test matches. The last time he played for India was in December and he needs to be given time to settle and get back into rhythm. It would be daft to drop him just after two innings.

India have a long home season ahead after this series and will need Pujara to be at his peak, both in form and fitness. That would only be possible if he spends some time in the middle. As long as Pujara is not haplessly throwing his wicket away without a try, as long as he is scoring runs and not playing bad cricket, he should have his team’s trust, which if Rahul is to be believed, he does.

The Indians have a dilemma on their hands once Murali Vijay regains fitness and is available for selection. With Shikhar Dhawan also getting some runs in the first Test, coupled with Rahul's terrific performance in the second, Pujara seems to be the most vulnerable to the axe if skipper Virat Kohli sticks to his five-bowler policy. It would be interesting to see what the Indians do, but it would also be highly unfortunate if Pujara finds himself carrying the drinks during the third Test.