[Pictures] “Gutted to leave this way” – Sussex captain Cheteshwar Pujara reacts to his suspension for one County Championship match
Sussex captain and Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara is gutted to miss out on their game against Derbyshire, which began on Tuesday, September 19. It is because he has been suspended for one match of the County Championship for repeated breaches of player discipline.
Batter Tom Haines, all-rounder Jack Carson, and seamer Ari Karvelas were unavailable due to their behavior in their last game against Leicestershire, where Sussex won by 15 runs. In addition, the side lost 12 points for repeated breaches of player discipline.
Pujara, who had to bear the brunt of the players' behavior since he is the leader of the pack, however, expressed gratitude for the memories and lauded the side for their character in all three departments of the game. The senior batter also hinted that he’ll not play the last game of the season against Gloucestershire.
He wrote in an Instagram post:
“Gutted to leave this way but looking back at the county season with cherished moments and unforgettable memories. Proud of the grit and character shown by this group. Wishing @sussexccc all the best for the remaining two games.”
Reacting to the post, his Sussex teammate Jaydev Unadkat wrote:
“Well done skip! Let’s reverse the roles..”
On this matter, Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace recently told ESPNCricinfo:
“We have made Jack and Tom unavailable for selection for this game at Derbyshire. Following the umpires and match referee's decision to charge both players with on-field level one and level two offenses, we needed to take a stance and show them we will not condone such behaviors."
He added:
"Ultimately, it has cost us the availability of Cheteshwar and we have been deducted 12 points."
Cheteshwar Pujara continues to shine for Sussex in the County Championship
Cheteshwar Pujara has continued to deliver for Sussex in the County Championship. In the ongoing season, he has amassed 649 runs in eight games at an average of 54.08, including three tons and two half-centuries.
In the previous season, the Saurashtra-born player amassed 1094 runs in eight games, including five tons.
Pujara, though, failed to deliver in the ICC World Test Championship final. He returned with scores of 14 and 27 as India lost by 209 runs.
Surprisingly, Rohit Sharma (15 and 43), Shubman Gill (13 and 18), and Virat Kohli (14 and 49) also failed in the summit clash. However, only Pujara was axed from India’s Test squad during their two-match Test series in West Indies earlier this year. India won the series 1-0 to begin the new championship cycle (2023-25).
Pujara, though, is confident of making his comeback in Team India for the two-Test series in South Africa later this year. He recently told Sussex:
"I am still in the scheme of things (for India), so I hope that the moment I start scoring runs in first-class games, I’ll be back into the team, but I’ll just try and be in the present, try and take one game at a time.”
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