"Can't wait to get back on the field" - Cheteshwar Pujara finally joins Sussex for the County Championship
Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has arrived in England to join the Sussex County Cricket Club for the ongoing first-class competition after a delay in receiving the visa. The right-handed batter said he is excited to be part of the county club and is eager to don their jersey.
The Saurashtra batter was unfortunate to miss out on the opening game against Nottinghamshire as he arrived late to the country due to a delay in receiving a visa. The veteran will be available for the club's next fixture against Derbyshire the following week.
Look who’s arrived… 🤩
Welcome, @cheteshwar1. 👋 https://t.co/pLZdLIF1aY
In a short clip uploaded to Twitter by the three-time champions, the 34-year old said:
"Hello everyone. Cheteshwar Pujara here. I'm excited to be a part of Sussex and can't wait to get back on the field."
The club's performance director Keith Greenfield admitted to facing difficulties in securing overseas players. In this regard, Greenfield told ESPN Cricinfo:
"Securing overseas players has been tremendously difficult in the current climate. We renegotiated the initial Pujara contract so he could return for more County Championship and Royal London 50-over matches, and this subsequently changed the visa requirements."
He added:
"On top of this, the Ukraine crisis has meant that the Home Office has redirected their resources to help with the displacement of Ukrainian citizens. We were expecting Pujara to be with us last weekend but can now confirm he will be here at the back end of this week."
Pujara has struggled for form in the last three years and hasn't scored a Test hundred since 2019, doing so against Australia. After a disappointing series in South Africa earlier this year, the veteran faced the axe in the home series against Sri Lanka.
However, the Saurashtra batter. will play five county championship matches and in the Royal London Cup in the English county season. He is one of India's most experienced Test players. In 95 Tests, Pujara has 6713 runs at 43.87 with 18 tons.
Sussex make a decent start to the County Championship
Our first team announcement of 2022. 🚨
Notts won the toss and have put us in to bat. 🏏 #GOSBTS https://t.co/wa9MvX1YkJ
Meanwhile, Sussex scored 375 in the first innings while batting against Nottinghamshire at Hove. The hosts put together a healthy score following a century from Tom Clark and half-centuries from skipper Tom Haines and Ali Orr.
The opposition currently trails Sussex by more than 150 runs with five wickets in hand.