Cheteshwar Pujara and County Cricket: Tracing his journey in all three counties so far
Not every batsman in the world is born with the gift of an excellent batting repertoire. Some are gifted with more talent than the others, which is understandable. One needs to be respectful of the fact that no two batsmen in the world possess the same level of aptitude. However, it’s also necessary to understand the limitations and work around it.
Cheteshwar Pujara doesn’t have all the shots in his book and he is mindful of the fact. In a generation of slam-bang cricket, the Saurashtra middle-order batsman presents himself as a classical player who prefers to keep the ball on the carpet rather than taking the aerial route.
In a bid to grill himself as a cricketer, Pujara also played County Cricket in England, the result of which is pretty evident from the way he approaches his game. Over the course of his short, yet illustrious Test career, the right-handed batsman represented three Counties in the European nation.
He previously played for Derbyshire, Yorkshire and lately is plying his trade for Nottinghamshire in the Specsavers County Championship. As we move ahead, we take a look at Pujara’s stint at the first-class level in England.
A derailed start for Derbyshire, that took shape thereafter
Pujara’s maiden County stint didn’t get off to the best of starts as he got out cheaply on both occasions against Glamorgan. His shortcomings in technique came to the fore in his very first game. On seaming conditions in Cardiff, Pujara could only manage scores of 7 and 0.
His campaign went from bad to worse as he perished for a low score of 16 against Surrey. He was cleaned up by Tim Linley after he promised with three elegant boundaries. However, Pujara is way too good a batsman to be kept quiet for too long.
Chasing 251 in the fourth innings, Derbyshire got off to a brisk start through an opening stand of 94 between Ben Slater and Billy Godleman. However, a couple of quick wickets pushed Derbyshire back. The platform was set for Pujara to show his class and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
With a score of 90 runs at a strike-rate of 85.71, he guided Derbyshire to a thumping victory by 8 wickets. Derbyshire’s next game against Leicestershire was pretty bizarre to start with for Pujara. He was adjudged out, handling the ball in the first innings for a score of 6.
Nevertheless, Pujara was too good a batsman to be bogged down. He carted the Leicestershire bowlers to his maiden ton in County cricket in just 115 balls. It not only guided Derbyshire to a massive lead but also fetched victory by a mammoth 408-run margin.
In the roller-coaster of a season in 2014, Pujara played three games in which he notched up 219 runs at an average of 54.75.
A season with Yorkshire which never gained momentum till the last game
One year later, Pujara made his way back into County Cricket. This time around, he carried forward all his experience from his previous stint. He had a short and a below-par season for Yorkshire, the team which eventually bagged the LV County Championship Division One title in 2015.
Albeit Yorkshire won their opening game against Worcestershire by 10 wickets, Pujara had a forgettable outing. He was unable to survive the new-ball and perished for a 5-ball duck to fast bowler Gareth Andrew.
In the second innings, Pujara was scheduled to come first-down. However, the openers -- Alex Rees and William Rhodes -- traced down the target of 105 runs without much fuss. Yorkshire’s subsequent game was against Nottinghamshire on a track which is traditionally known for generating sharp movement.
Pujara got only one inning to manufacture something substantial. Against a potent bowling attack that included the likes of Vernon Philander and Jake Ball, Pujara notched up well-compiled innings of 57 runs in 124 balls.
Against Warwickshire, Pujara got off to starts but was unable to capitalise on them. Though he could manage scores of 23 and 33, he showed sparks of brilliance with nine boundaries. While Boyd Rankin accounted for him in the first innings, Kiwi off-spinner Jeetan Patel trapped him plumb in front of the stumps in the second innings.
Pujara played his final game of the season against Hampshire and yet again, the Saurashtra batsman bit the dust after doing the hard yards in the first innings. Nevertheless, he signed off his campaign with a jaw-dropping knock of 133 off 182 balls in the second innings, which completely took the game out of Hampshire’s reach.
Overall, Pujara played 4 games in the season, in which he garnered 264 runs at an average of 52.80. He struggled during most part of the season, but it was evident that he steadfastly got his batting into a rhythm on foreign conditions and challenging wickets.
A struggle altogether for Nottinghamshire
Cheteshwar Pujara generally doesn’t get picked by any of the teams in the Indian Premier League. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him. The top-order batsman took this opportunity to play County cricket and is currently playing for Nottinghamshire.
Apart from his ton against Gloucestershire, the season panned out to be a tad erratic for Pujara. In his first game, Pujara tried to put his head down but was dismissed by Marchant de Lange for 2 runs. The Indian middle-order batsman came back with a knock of 112 runs in 206 balls against Gloucestershire.
It also turned out to be his second century in County cricket after his ton against Hampshire in 2015. The next game against his former team Derbyshire turned out to be a poor outing for Pujara. He couldn’t survive the heat as he scored 29 and 13 in the game.
Nevertheless, he continued his impressive run against Gloucestershire and contributed with a patient hand of 67 runs in 150 balls. After a gap of almost three months, Pujara returned to the County circuit, but couldn’t make much of an impact with the willow against Northamptonshire.
Nottinghamshire still have three games remaining in the season and Pujara will be itching to end the season on a high. Currently, Pujara is sitting at 275 runs in 5 games at an average of 39.29.
The impact
Pujara went on a poor run of form several times. Consequently, he was dropped from the Test team on numerous occasions. It could easily have dented his confidence. However, Pujara’s decision of playing County cricket transformed him into a much-improved player.
His numbers prove the fact that he is one of India’s stalwarts in the batting lineup. There are several tough assignments scheduled for India in Test cricket over the next six months, which includes an overseas series against South Africa.
With sterling performances, he proved his mettle in sub-continent conditions. Now it’s the time for him to replicate the same form in trying conditions where batting isn’t a walk in the park and runs are hard to come by.