[WATCH] “A great practice session”- Cheteshwar Pujara gears up for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Senior Indian batter Chetehwar Pujara is all geared up for the Indian domestic season. In a video shared on Instagram, he was seen practicing before the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament.
The Saurashtra batter is coming off the back of a dream season for Sussex in England. He emerged as the second-highest run-scorer in the Royal London One-Day Cup with 624 runs in nine matches, including three centuries and a couple of fifties. Pujara will look to carry his form into the Indian domestic tournament. Pujara captioned the post:
“A great practice session ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy!”
He had earlier racked up 1,094 runs in eight matches at an average of 109.4 for Sussex in County Championship Division Two, where he hit three double tons and a couple of centuries.
Saurashtra will begin their campaign with a game against Andhra on Tuesday (October 11).
Cheteshwar Pujara drops hint of joining new cricket team
On Friday, Pujara surprised everyone by announcing that he is joining a new cricket team. The veteran shared that he will reveal the franchise's name on Monday (October 10).
He recently spoke about his stint in England. Speaking on ‘The Cricket’ Podcast, he said:
"This is a different side of my game for sure. There is no doubt about it. Pitches were good, slightly flat but even those surfaces, you need to have that intent of scoring at a higher strike-rate. This is something which I have always worked on.”
“I was part of CSK a year before last and when I didn't play any games and saw the guys prepare, I told myself that if I want to play the shorter format. I always used to put a big prize on my wicket but I the shorter formats, you still want to play your shots in your game.”
The 34-year-old has been one of the most dependable batters for India in Tests. He has amassed 6792 runs in 96 matches at an average of 43.81, including 18 centuries and 33 fifties. He last played for India in the fifth Test against England in July.
He is likely to be seen in action in a four-match Test series during Australia's tour of India in February-March 2023.