Cheteshwar Pujara: The warrior Indian cricket needs more of
After Sourav Ganguly retired in 2008, India struggled for the next couple of years to find a replacement for him in the middle-order.
The time was soon approaching when they had to look at potential candidates for players occupying the Number 3 and 4 slots in the XI.
Finding someone as good as the player in the latter spot would have been harder than trying to score a century with a baseball bat, but for the person at 3, there were names, about whom whispers were beginning to emerge.
One of those was from Saurashtra, a centre whose proudest contribution to Indian cricket up till then was Salim Durrani, who as folklore goes, would hit sixes on 'demand'
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara was already beginning to show the appetite he possessed for runs, slamming triple hundreds on the domestic circuit while still being in his early 20s.
There must surely be something about Saurashtra cricketers and them getting triple hundreds for when Ravindra Jadeja was dropped from the side in 2011, he went back and showed that if a player from Rajkot could do it, a cricketer from Jamnagar could also emulate the feat.
Pujara's exploits didn't go unnoticed and he was picked to play against Australia in late 2010 and handed a debut in the second Test at Bengaluru.
A lot has spoken about the game already, but what stood out about his 72 in the second innings was the fluency in his stroke-play.
Like Dravid, Pujara showed his strengths were essentially playing spin and also driving through the covers.
A lot of players had been knocking on the door, but post that 72, Pujara had proven to most that he was a player worth investing upon.
Over the course of the next 7 years, the right-hander has seen several moments of ups-and-downs.
From being India's best batsman in South Africa in 2013 to being not able to crack the limited-overs format as well as he would have liked.
When he does look back on his career in a few years time, I think there will be two phases which he would think of and feel he was hard done by:
1. When he was dropped from the Test side in 2015 and Rohit Sharma was preferred ahead of him at Number 3.
2. When his strike-rate and in essence, his style of batting was questioned last year, around this time.
But as Floyd Mayweather Jr. said, “ A true champion will fight through anything”, Pujara overcame the disappointments and how.
In the former case, he responded with a classy 145 not out, carrying his bat on a green seamer, laying the foundation for a historic Indian win at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
In the latter, he replied by having a sensational home season which saw him play at his expressive best after a long time, scoring against all four teams who came to India.
In a team, boasting of superstars, most of whom have that one shot which defines them, Pujara stands out as the player who solidifies the unit with his presence.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that at least in the Test side, he is one player who is always in a relentless pursuit of excellence.
When the Kohlis, Rahanes and others are earning the big bucks in the months of April and May, Pujara has headed to England in two out of the last 3 years to sharpen his trade in the early part of county season.
The stints haven't been big, but it has been long enough for him to stay geared for the challenges that lie ahead.
At a time, when T20 cricket continues to be the most followed format, Indian cricket must consider itself to have a player amidst itself, who is willing to excel in Test cricket, to give it the importance it deserves.
It surely would have been mighty tempting for him to try and emulate some of the shots that his teammates play, but Pujara, more than anything else, is aware of what he can do and how he can play the way he knows best and get the runs needed from him.
When a grind is needed, against any team, anywhere, you can be sure he will be there, in full armoury, wearing the helmet with the India crest on it, bat held tightly, eyes wide open, mouth opening a bit when the bat is pitched up and the bat coming down ramrod straight after it hitting the deck and then him slamming the pad, adjusting the helmet, gripping the bat and then getting down to earning his bread.
As he enters his 50th Test, we wish he remains the rock for plenty more matches. Go well Chintu!