Cheteshwar Pujara admits challenging wickets suits his temperament

Pujara was the only batsman, who dealt with the wrath of Eden Garden’s lush green track well on the opening day of Kolkata Test. The way he kept a narrow V in his stance and chose his deliveries judiciously was a treat for Test cricket fans. Though the likes of Wriddhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja did get runs on the second day of the game, the pitch had lost its threatening nature by then.

Pujara’s brilliant knock of 52 runs off 117 balls has left experts wide-eyed with many claiming that his Eden half-century would easily better his thirteen centuries and three double centuries in his previous 51 Tests. The Saurashtra batsman hardly missed a scoring opportunity in his calm and steady innings with 40 of his runs coming in boundaries.

“Personally, I love playing on challenging wickets. It suits my temperament and technique. On these wickets, your character comes up and you feel that you are confident and you can pull a team out of trouble. I try and stay strong when the wicket is difficult,” said Pujara as quoted by Indian Express.

One of the main reasons why Pujara dealt with it better than other players in India’s top order would surely be his county cricket experience with English side Nottinghamshire.

“Playing county cricket has definitely helped me. I played eight matches, which is half the total number of matches, as over there you play 16 games. I played four games before the Sri Lanka tour and four after it,” said Pujara.

“I had a lot of exposure. At the same time, I have played on many challenging wickets and as a cricketer, I have learnt many things that helped me improve and understand my game.” 

His magnificent innings finally came to an end on a devilish in-swinger by Lahiru Gamage that dipped through the gate. Pujara revealed that the ball deviated more than he expected.

“I was surprised with the way the ball deviated. You have to give credit to the bowlers and if you get a good ball you have to accept it,” said Pujara.