Cheteshwar Pujara keen to improve record in New Zealand
Cheteshwar Pujara is one of India's most dependable batsmen, and with India about to play a crucial two-match Test series against New Zealand, his form will be key to India's chances of doing well.
In the last time India toured New Zealand, Pujara had a horrible run of form, as he was able to score only 60 runs in 4 innings. Followed by that were the horror tours of England and Australia which later saw Pujara getting dropped from the team for a while. However, this time around, he has shown promising signs after he scored 93 in the three-day game against New Zealand XI.
"I realised how difficult it is to score runs abroad, from an individual and team perspective. So I needed to work on my game, see what’s going on and correct the mistakes,” Pujara told The Indian Express.
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Pujara came back strongly and proved his worth the next time India toured Australia as he was the player of the series and helped India complete a historic first series win Down Under. Pujara also revealed that some of the Ranji Trophy games has helped him in preparing for the series against New Zealand and that he was determined to conquer the one place where he has had a poor record.
“It was quite cold and breezy, and there was a bit of lateral movement. Though it’s different to New Zealand, it sort of helps you get into that mental groove. And I had a lot of time at the nets, working on a few aspects of my batting,” Pujara stated.
"I have grown both as a person and batsman. I am a more balanced character, better prepared to deal with failures, more level-headed in taking success. But while the past satisfies you, you need to look ahead too. All I am thinking about now is getting runs in New Zealand," he concluded.