Prior to 2017, he faced public omission from his team, supposedly for a sluggish scoring rate. In 2017, he plundered 1200 runs at an average of 67. Be it the declaration innings against New Zealand, a gritty rearguard against Australia in Bangalore, or a 500-ball ton in Ranchi, Cheteshwar Pujara came back with a characteristic understated brilliance, cloaked in classic Test match batsmanship.

Cut to 2018: he’s no longer in India, where visiting pacemen have been blunted into impotence, where foreign spinners have failed to zero in on the right areas to use the turning conditions. He is abroad, where his average is half of that at home. He is in South Africa, where bounce is plentiful, and the ball darts around like an adulterer. He is pivotal in the batting order and hence it is crucial for him to shed the baggage of being a poor traveller.

Facing him is the most potent bowling team recent history has seen: Steyn, Rabada, Morkel, Philander and Maharaj. Facing him is a parade of falling top-order partners on the first evening of their African sojourn. In the midst of this battle, Pujara is an oasis of fortitude.