Interview with Cheteshwar Pujara: "I sought the advice of Rahul Bhai"
Cheteshwar Pujara was being hailed as the successor of Rahul Dravid after starting his career on a grand note. His seemingly impenetrable technique, unassuming demeanour, unswerving tenacity, and penchant to compile mammoth scores had critics and analysts serenading panegyrical paeans for him.
But his career hit a snag after lacklustre performance in Test series in England and Australia where he failed to measure up to humungous expectations, and could only score 423 runs in eight Test matches at an average of 26.43. He was, in fact, dropped from the playing XI for the 4th Test in Sydney during the tour Down Under.
He is, however, unperturbed by aberration, and is supremely confident that having learnt his lessons, he would emerge as a better batsman from here on.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he talks about his experience of playing in England and Australia, the lessons he has learned from the failures, and his new contract with Yorkshire to play country cricket.
How do you assess your performance when you look back at the tours to South Africa, England, and Australia?
I did well in South Africa and scored a ton in the Johannesburg Test. But unfortunately things didn’t quite work out in England and Australia. I couldn’t perform the way I would have liked, but that is the part of cricket. Sometimes things don’t go your way. I have moved on and now I’m looking forward to starting a new season with a fresh approach.
What according to you went wrong in England? The general perception was that you were uncomfortable against the balls which were nipping back.
Look, I would not like to go too much into technical intricacies. Obviously, I have watched the videos and analysed my mistakes. I have learned my lessons and that would help me to grow and become a better batsman.
You also have to give credit to their bowlers, especially James Anderson and Stuart Broad. They are extremely experienced and skilful bowlers. We were a young side and most of us were playing Test cricket in England for the first time. The experience has taught us a lot and it will come in handy in the future.
You have the reputation of rattling up big hundreds, but in Australia you failed to capitalize on good starts.
Yeah, it was disappointing that I could not convert good starts into big scores. I was batting well and feeling confident but somehow I did not kick on. At times, I played loose shots, and sometimes I got absolute rippers.
Nathan Lyon, whom you took to the cleaners during the Test series in India, troubled you quite a bit in Australia.
Nathan Lyon has improved tremendously as a spinner, and he is not the same bowler whom I played against in India. Also, pitches in Australia are a tad different from India. During the Test series in Australia, he was not just getting the balls to turn, he was also getting fair amount of bounce which made him a difficult bowler to counter.
Some of the deliveries he bowled were unplayable. Credit to him for bowling his heart out.
Did you feel hard done by after being axed from the playing XI for the Sydney Test, considering you had good starts in almost all innings prior to that Test?
I would not like to comment on team selection. This is something that is not in my hand. I set high standards for myself and would have liked to contribute much more than I did.
Did you seek suggestions from Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid when you were going through a rough patch?
I sought the advice of Rahul bhai and he graciously chipped in with a few points. I can’t disclose what I talked to him about, but his suggestions were quite beneficial and would help me in the future. He is a legend of the game and scored glut of runs in England and Australia.
Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane got plenty of chances to establish themselves in the ODI team, but despite having a stellar List A (avg. of 54.01) record you are continued to be ignored.
I’m waiting for the chances to come my way so that I can utilize them. I have unflinching faith in my abilities and have done well in List A cricket. I am also devising a few new strokes to add to my repertoire that would not only make me a better limited-overs batsman, but also would enhance my range of shots in Test cricket.
How is it like being contracted by Yorkshire to play country cricket, the same county which Sachin Tendulkar represented once?
It would be an honour for me to represent the same county for which Sachin paaji played once. Yorkshire has a rich cricketing legacy and I have been following them for quite a while now. I watched some of their matches last year while I was playing county cricket for Derbyshire.
I am looking forward to playing in Headingley where the conditions will be diametrically different from India. It will stand me in good stead for the future, and will be a rite of passage in my quest of becoming a better batsman.