[WATCH] Cheteshwar Pujara bowls an over of leg spin for Sussex against Leicestershire
Veteran Team India batter Cheteshwar Pujara bowled an over of leg spin for Sussex against Leicestershire on Day 3 of the County Championship Division Two match in Hove on Wednesday (July 13).
Pujara rejoined Sussex after representing India in the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham from July 1 to 5. He scored 13 and 66 in the Test even as the visitors went down to the Englishmen by seven wickets.
On Wednesday, Sussex’s official Twitter handle shared a video of the 34-year-old Indian batter turning his arm over during the ongoing clash against Leicestershire.
The clip was shared with the caption:
“An over of @cheteshwar1 bowling.”
An over of @cheteshwar1 bowling. 🚨 https://t.co/I4PdyeCxCx
The part-time spinner conceded eight runs in the over without claiming a wicket. For the record, Pujara has claimed six first-class scalps in 232 matches.
Earlier, Sussex won the toss and elected to bat first in the game against Leicestershire. They put up an impressive 588 on the board as Tom Alsop top-scored with 150 while Ali Orr, Oliver Carter, Delray Rawlins, and James Coles all chipped in with half-centuries.
Pujara narrowly missed out on a fifty as he was trapped lbw for 46 by Colin Ackermann. The Indian batter struck eight fours in his brisk 76-ball knock, which lasted 96 minutes.
In response to Sussex's first innings total of 588, Leicestershire reached 456 for 4 in 125 overs. Louis Kimber, Ackermann, and Wiaan Mulder hit hundreds, while opener Rishi Patel was dismissed for 99.
Pujara’s county route to India comeback
Having been dropped from the Indian Test team for the home series against Sri Lanka, Pujara signed up for a county stint with Sussex. He put up a brilliant display with the bat, amassing 720 runs in five matches at an average of 120 with four hundreds to force his way back into the Test squad.
Speaking to bcci.tv following his recall to the Indian team, the right-handed batter admitted that the Sussex experience was a big help.
The Rajkot-born batter opined:
"It's about playing as many first-class games as possible and for me, that experience was very important. When you want to get back into form, when you want to find your rhythm, when you have that concentration, it is important to play some long innings.
It’s always a pleasure to be back in this dressing room 🏏 https://t.co/XVwrz5UxBK
He added:
"So, when I was playing for Sussex, I could do that. When I had my first big knock against Derby, then I felt that my rhythm was back, my concentration and everything was falling in place. Yeah, I had a very good time with Sussex.”
The Saurashtra batter has played 96 Tests in which he has scored 6792 runs at an average of 43.81 with 18 hundreds and 33 fifties.