With India set to play thirteen Test matches in the upcoming home season against 4 teams, a lot of responsibility will rest on the shoulders of run machine Cheteshwar Pujara. Pujara might not have been at his supreme best since the last 18 months, but the Saurashtra batsman has just been a phenomenal star for the Indians at home. His batting average of 64.39 at home is just an indication of how ruthless he can be.
Pujara roared back to form recently in the Duleep Trophy. His 256 in the final against India Red was just an instance of his tremendous appetite for runs in familiar conditions. Pujara shares a special connect with New Zealand, as he scored his first test century against the very opposition four years ago in Hyderabad. While speaking about the upcoming tests to bcci.tv, he admitted that he was quite upbeat.
“I would agree to the fact that the Duleep Trophy double-century was a sort of an innings that I needed before the start of a Test series,” Pujara told the BCCI website. “Actually the 166 that I scored in my first game of the tournament was the turning point. That innings brought in me the confidence. Having said that, I feel I was batting well in West Indies as well, especially in the second game where I scored 46 runs and got run out the moment I was about to accelerate,” the right-hander said, about his outing in the Caribbean.
Stressing on the need to make timely contributions, Pujara said, “It is not easy to score big runs all the time and there will be times when you score a handy 70 or 80 that would be helpful for the team.” Those knocks might not get appreciated but from the team’s perspective, you have done your job. I want to score runs that can help the team’s cause and if I have done that, I will be satisfied.” “When I don’t score big, I do get disappointed. At the same time, I have to be realistic to assess the situation and conditions.”
The batting star concluded by mentioning that he loved batting at the number 3 slot. “I wouldn’t say I would look to cement a particular batting position. I obviously love batting at number three and I have batted at the top order right from the beginning in first-class cricket. I have a lot of experience playing at No.3,” he said. “Even for the Indian team, I have scored most runs batting at that position. I love batting there because it puts me under a bit of pressure but helps me be responsible,” he concluded.