"Always a pleasure to be back in this dressing room" - Cheteshwar Pujara rejoins Sussex for County Championship and Royal London Cup
India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara has rejoined Sussex for the remaining games of the County Championship and the Royal London One-Day Cup. The right-handed batter took to his official Twitter handle to say that it is a pleasure to be back.
The veteran, who has accumulated a truckload of runs for Sussex this year in red-ball cricket, will turn out for the side in the remaining six fixtures. The Saurashtra batter replaced Travis Head and has also committed to playing the first few games of the 50-over tournament.
He posted on Twitter:
"It's always a pleasure to be back in the dressing room."
It’s always a pleasure to be back in this dressing room 🏏 https://t.co/XVwrz5UxBK
The 34-year-old is coming off a decent outing in the fifth Test against England at Edgbaston. He made 13 in the first innings, followed by a defiant half-century in the second while stitching together a partnership with Rishabh Pant. However, the visitors slid to a seven-wicket loss after England completed their highest run-chase in Test cricket.
Speaking of Sussex's performances in the County Championship, the club have managed only one victory out of five matches and need to buck up to progress to the knockouts. Nottinghamshire has occupied the top spot with five victories in six fixtures.
Cheteshwar Pujara is the highest run-getter for Sussex in the County Championship Division One
The Saurashtra batter is the highest run-getter for the club in Division One, slamming 720 runs in five games at 120 with four centuries.
The veteran faced the axe for the home Test series against Sri Lanka following the South African tour earlier this year. He managed only 124 runs in three Tests against the Proteas as the visitors suffered a series loss.
Cheteshwar Pujara for Sussex in County Championship Division Two so far 🌟
🏏 6 & 201* v Derbyshire
🏏 109 v Worcestershire
📸 @SussexCCC https://t.co/x03jIkw1KS
The veteran of 96 Tests hasn't scored a hundred since January of 2018. Nevertheless, his performances in England should lead to an extended run in the Test side.