Great feeling when the opposition says they need a player like me, says Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara has admitted that he felt proud on hearing that Australia were left awestruck by his batting performance in the 2-1 series loss against India last month. The Indian No.3 scored a mammoth 521 runs across the four matches in the Test series and was also adjudged as man of the series.
The Indian cricket team secured a historic 2-1 series win against Australia in the four-match Test series down under last month. That was the first time that India ever won a series on the Australian soil which made the victory sweeter for Virat Kohli & Co. Saurashtra-born batsman Cheteshwar Pujara starred for the Indian team as he scored a mammoth 521 runs across the four games which also included three centuries.
The top order batsman received plaudits from all across the globe for his impressive batting display against Tim Paine & Co. and in doing so, the Australian team admitted that Pujara was at a whole other level and were interested in finding their own version of the Indian batsman in the near future.
"It is a great feeling when the opposition says they need a player like me. Having said that, I haven't done anything extraordinary. What I have done has been done in the past. I have learned from great cricketers, legends of the game. This is how Test cricket was played in the past and I grew up watching them play in such a manner," Pujara said in a recent interview with the Cricket Monthly.
Sometimes some people say it is old-school cricket, but what I am doing is reading the situation. You just need to read the situation and bat accordingly. There have been many occasions where I accelerated when the situation demanded it. Because there is not one way of playing Test cricket - it should not be like you just need to play shots or you just have to defend."
The Test specialist was pivotal for his state team Saurashtra as he helped them make it to the final of this year’s Ranji Trophy tournament. Pujara, who scored a brilliant 196 across two innings in the semi-final win against Karnataka, revealed that his team have been brilliant so far in the domestic tournament and are looking to go all way as they prepare to face-off against Vidarbha in the final.
"It is a special moment for Saurashtra. We all believe we can win, having come close twice in the past despite not having a full-strength squad. Against Mumbai, Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] was not available, and this time too he might not be there. Luckily this time we have a good young unit. The kind of ability we have in this team was on show in the quarter-final and the semi-final. It was really tough, especially against UP, when we conceded a lead of 170-odd runs in the quarters. We still managed to come back - to chase down 372, the highest ever chase in Ranji Trophy history, which was one of the best victories
"I have been part of with Saurashtra. Being part of such a unit, which believes in themselves and is committed to the team goal - that is the special thing about this squad. Everyone is working towards one goal: to win the title, win each and every game. Sometimes talent can be overrated, but it is the commitment towards one goal that makes this unit very special," Pujara added.
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