Team India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara admitted it is not always about the personal glory that mattered while playing in challenging overseas conditions but contributing to the team. Pujara and Virat Kohli shared a massive partnership to give India a firm grip against England in the third Test at Trent Bridge.
Meanwhile, India has put on a target of 521 at Trent Bridge with two days still to play. Cheteshwar Pujara scored crucial 72 runs while sharing a 113-run stand with Kohli (103).
“When you are playing away from home, it’s not about scoring big hundreds. It is about having enough runs on the board, collectively. Maybe sometimes the openers (didn’t) score more than 30-40 runs, but they are quite valuable for the team. Personally, I always want to score a hundred in any game I play, but at the same time you have to be realistic,” Pujara said after the match.
Cheteshwar Pujara delighted with Virat Kohli
Pujara expressed his delight with Kohli’s 23rd Test century, his second ton of the series against England. While Kohli missed the century in the first innings by three runs, he made sure to convert the half-century.
“He batted brilliantly. He has been batting well since the first Test. He is in good touch and is making the most of it. Some shots which he is playing on this pitch are very difficult for any other batsman to execute,” Cheteshwar Pujara added.
The No 3 batsman feels his County stint has helped him to tackle these challenging conditions. He also revealed that he was confident of a big score coming his way very soon. However, he acknowledged being under pressure after missing from the India XI in the first Test.
“I was always confident. Although I didn’t score too many runs in County cricket, I was playing on challenging pitches. I was very confident I was up for a big one. But to be honest, there is always some pressure, especially when you have not scored too many runs,” Pujara continued.
In conclusion, Cheteshwar Pujara admitted the one needs to have trust in his skill set to score runs in this conditions. England now needs 498 runs to seal the series against India with ten wickets in hand.