Cheteshwar Pujara announced his arrival on the international stage in the best possible manner- scoring centuries against New Zealand, England and Australia at home in his debut season and also became the joint-fastest Indian to 1000 Test runs in terms of matches played.
However, a prolonged dip in form, when he scored only 423 runs in eight Tests in England and Australia in 2014 saw him getting dropped from the Indian team. But Pujara once again proved his worth by scoring a fighting ton in Sri Lanka in his comeback Test. He has not looked back ever since then and has become a batting mainstay of the Indian Test team.
His stature as one of the lynchpins of the batting line-up has only escalated after his batting exploits in the series against New Zealand and England. After having a brilliant Duleep Trophy, where he scored 453 runs in only two matches, the right-handed batsman continued his fine form against New Zealand too and finished the series as the highest run-scorer with 373 runs in six innings. The 28-year-old scored 401 runs against England and played a pivotal role in India’s 4-0 win over the visitors.
The Saurashtra batsman has now revealed the reason behind his good show against the visitors in recent months. Speaking to DNA, he said:“Starting from New Zealand, overall it looked good. However, I couldn’t convert the good starts to big scores, which later I did. First in the third Test against New Zealand where I scored a hundred and then England.
“I had worked hard on my batting and the kind of form I was in domestic cricket — Duleep Trophy — where I got a double hundred. It was about getting into the rhythm. I had the experience as I had scored double hundreds against England and Australia on the previous tour. It was just a matter of time for me to get back into rhythm and start scoring again,” he added.
One of the things that would worry Pujara is his failure to convert starts into big scores. He started the series against New Zealand with scores of 62 and 78 followed by 87 in the next Test. He finally scored a century in the final Test at Indore and continued it against England too by scoring two centuries in the first two Tests. But his next three scores were 51,47 and 16.
When asked about the failure to convert good starts, he said:” At times, I do get disappointed on missing out on a hundred. Having played brilliantly you fail to capitalise and miss out, it is disappointing. Yes, sometimes I do feel that. But at times, I also feel and have to accept that I performed well and have put the team in good position. If the team hasn’t lost wickets and the scoreboard reflects we are in good position, then it is satisfying. It is disappointing though not to get 100s, but you learn from mistakes.”
Pujara has made a reputation of a player who can play long innings. With two triple-centuries in Ranji Trophy, the batsman started his international career in the same fashion by scoring two double-centuries in his first few Tests (vs England and Australia). However, the big scores have not come after his second double-century against Australia way back in 2013. Since then, he has scored six centuries but has managed to cross the 150-run mark only once.
Speaking about that, he said:“Big hundreds are not easy to score. Scoring a 100 is also a big achievement. If I was able to convert each of my hundreds into double hundreds, it would be great. But not many batsman have done that. I have got two big double hundreds and at the same time I have scored 100s and I’m happy about it.”
The success against England and New Zealand came after he was severely criticised for his performance in the West Indies. He was getting runs but was facing the heat for consuming too many balls. In the second Test, he scored 46 runs from 159 balls which forced the team management to drop him for the next match.
When asked whether his playing style was the reason behind his failure to score quick runs, he said:“I understand sometimes there might be something in the papers but I have always believed in working on my game. Even when I spoke to Rahul (Dravid) bhai before the Sri Lanka series (last year), he said there was nothing wrong and it was just a matter of time that I would get a big score as I was batting well in the nets. He told me to keep your game as it is and then time will come you would get back among the runs.
“I would like to thank Anil (Kumble) bhai, too, who told me not to worry and focus on my batting. The way I have been batting in domestic cricket, dominating the bowlers, I should do the same at international level. He told me to have the intent of dominating bowlers and play my natural game,” he added.
He also said that criticism does not bother him and he takes them in a positive manner.
“As a cricketer, I don’t worry much about criticism. The best way to take criticism is by motivating yourself and work on your game. Once you start scoring, everything will be solved. If there is a technical error you start working on it. Once you start performing, things become normal and they will say this guy has worked hard. That is the best way to tackle criticism.”
“When you are playing at the international level, each and every move, the errors you make will be taking seriously. I feel the player should be given space to perform. He also has to be mentally strong. It is about how strong and positive you are,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Pujara will remain out of action until February before Bangladesh visits for a one-off Test starting on February 8. It will be followed by a four-match Test series against Australia. The long break will undoubtedly give him an opportunity to get refreshed after a busy few months but at the same time it can also affect his form.
Speaking on that, the batsman said:“I think it is a good thing. Good thing in the sense that I will be practising again and the best part about it is that when you have a series where you have done well, you will have the confidence. You can focus on few things and improve. Once you are in form, it is always important that it gets better.”