The Background:
After being ignored by the Indian Premier League franchises for yet another year, India Test batting mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara decided to ply his trade in the English county for the third time. The right-handed batsman signed for a four-match Championship stint with Nottinghamshire as a replacement for the county outfit’s main overseas signing, James Pattinson.
The 29-year old, who had previously played county cricket with Derbyshire and Yorkshire, justified Nottinghamshire’s faith in him by scoring 223 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 44.60. He is back in India now and has now set his eyes on the Sri Lanka tour that commences next month.
The Story:
After the successful stint with Nottinghamshire, the Test star, while admitting that he would love to play county cricket again, said that more Indian players should ply their trade in England’s domestic tournament provided the schedule allows them.
“I really enjoyed playing there. You learn so many things. Most of the times, you play on challenging seamer-friendly pitches, which are obviously rare in India. It’s a different experience altogether. I also got to know the likes of Stuart Broad and Samit Patel, which was nice considering they have been my opponents in the past. I would like to go back and play county cricket again if the opportunity presents itself. I definitely think more Indian players should play county cricket, but it also depends on the schedule.There has been a lot of talk about,” he told reporters on Sunday (July 2).
‘Century Against Sri Lanka Was A Career-Defining Moment’:
Cheteshwar Pujara had cemented his position in the Test team after just a few matches following his arrival in international cricket. However, his Test form dipped as he managed only 423 runs in eight Tests in England and Australia in 2014. The string of poor performances saw him losing his starting place in the team but got a chance to prove himself in the Test against Sri Lanka in 2015 due to injuries to Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan.
And the Saurashtra batsman fully capitalised on the opportunity, scoring an unbeaten 145 in the first innings, which was his first Test century since 2013, as India won the Test to register a series win in the island nation after a long wait of 22 years.
“That century was in 2015 against Lanka was a career- defining one for me. I was under pressure and had been struggling for form. It was a difficult phase but I always believed in my abilities. I felt happy to score when the team needed it the most,” he recalled.
“It was a matter of proving my critics wrong. I had worked hard and the results were evident. I was relieved to get the runs in tough conditions,” he added.
On Rahul Dravid:
Pujara has been compared by many with India’s batting legend Rahul Dravid. Pujara, who topped the batting charts in the 2016-17 home season with 1316 runs in 13 Tests, has justified the tag of India’s new ‘Mr Dependable’ and thanked his illustrious predecessor for guiding him during tough times.
“He (Dravid) is a humble person. He has always been a great help. Whenever I have approached him for advice, he has been forthcoming.
“Once when I was not in the best of form, I reached out to him and after watching me bat in the nets for some time, said there was nothing wrong with my technique,” the Saurashtra batsman, who has played 48 Tests, said.