"Will the IPL franchises take a note of this?" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Cheteshwar Pujara's red-hot form
Team India's veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has highlighted how Cheteshwar Pujara showcased stellar batting form while playing for Sussex in English county cricket this year.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on Friday, he pointed out how the batter has excelled in both red-ball and white-ball matches for Sussex. He shed light on Pujara's improved strike rate in the Royal One-Day Cup.
The 35-year-old added that having a seasoned campaigner like Pujara was a big advantage for Sussex, as most of their senior players gave the Royal One-Day Cup a miss to play in The Hundred 2022:
"Many local players and even support staff members leave for The Hundred during the Royal One-Day Cup. So, when I signed a contract with Yorkshire in 2020, I made sure to pass on my knowledge to other players as they bring players from their second teams. It's a competition that helps them grow their junior brigade. Players like Cheteshwar Pujara are gold dust in a competition like this."
Ashwin speculated that franchises could be keeping an eye on the batter's recent performances ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) mini auction:
"With his experience and game range, he has been in terrific form. In fact, he has been in accelerating form. He is scoring loads and loads of runs at a quicker pace as well. (He is) An Indian middle-order batter who is scoring runs at a brisk pace. A mini auction is right around the corner. Will the IPL franchises take a note of this?"
Pujara was unsold at the IPL 2022 mega auction. He was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad in 2021. However, he didn't get to feature in a single game in the edition.
Ashwin spoke about how Pujara's successful stint with Sussex helped him make a comeback into India's Test side for their rescheduled fifth match against England in July:
"Cheteshwar Pujara is having an outstanding run for Sussex. He has been in scintillating form for some time now. He is scoring runs for fun. He had a terrific start for Sussex even in the County Championship games. Sussex didn't have a good County Championship, but they had a really good Royal One-Day Cup."
Cheteshwar Pujara played as an opener in the one-off Test at Edgbaston. While he was dismissed for 13 runs in the first innings, he contributed significantly during India's second essay, scoring 66 runs off 168 deliveries.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the leading run-getter for Sussex in Royal One-Day Cup 2022
The Indian batter was appointed as the interim captain for Sussex following regular skipper Tom Haines' injury. Pujara continued to captain the side even after Haines' return to the Royal One-Day Cup 2022.
Pujara led the side from the front in the 50-over tournament, emerging as their top performer with the bat. He slammed three centuries and two fifties to finish with 624 runs from his nine appearances at a fantastic average of 89.14.
Quite unfortunate we didn't see this one through, but mighty proud of the team's performance throughout the Royal London Cup campaign! Had a memorable run with @SussexCCC 💙💪 https://t.co/fxf4ctXVvI
Sussex's campaign ended with their heartbreaking 65-run loss to Lancashire in the semi-finals. Cheteshwar Pujara performed admirably for the side at the County Championship as well, mustering 1094 runs from eight games.