IND v AUS 2020: 'It might definitely take time for Cheteshwar Pujara to get his rhythm back' - VVS Laxman
Former Indian middle-order batsman VVS Laxman has opined it might take a while for Cheteshwar Pujara to be back to his best as he has been away from competitive cricket for a long time.
In the recent episode of the Star Sports show Game Plan, Laxman and Sunil Gavaskar shared their thoughts on the concerns about Cheteshwar Pujara coming to the Australia series after a long hiatus from the game.
VVS Laxman was asked if Cheteshwar Pujara will be keen to make up for the lost time as he has not played cricket since March. He responded that the Saurashtra batsman might require some time in the middle to get back to his formal self.
"It might definitely take time for Pujara to get his rhythm back."
However, he added that Cheteshwar Pujara would have made the best use of his time away from the game and put in the hard yards at the nets even during the lockdown period.
"But knowing Pujara, he will go with full preparation. Even though he has not played since March, he would have definitely been practising in Rajkot. Even in the lockdown he would have been going to his own ground and practising because preparation has always been Pujara's strength."
Sunil Gavaskar believes Cheteshwar Pujara will be ready for the long haul
Sunil Gavaskar observed Cheteshwar Pujara will be ready to grind it out in the middle. He added the Indian batting mainstay's grit and determination will help him overcome the lack of quality cricket behind him.
"Pujara will be very happy to bat 15 out of the 20 days of Test cricket ahead of us, no question about it. So, whether he has played cricket or not, I don't think is going to make any difference because he is so strong mentally."
The former Indian captain signed off by pointing out that Cheteshwar Pujara loves to tire the opposition bowlers and has also added some attacking strokes in his repertoire.
"He loves batting, he loves being at the crease, he loves wearing the bowlers down. In the last two years or so, he has also improved his range of strokes."
Cheteshwar Pujara was India's standout performer with the bat in their last tour of Australia in 2018-19. The India No. 3 amassed 521 runs in the four-Test series at an average of 74.42. He will have an even greater responsibility on his shoulders this time around, as Virat Kohli will not be available from the second Test onwards.