Looking forward to playing county again: Cheteshwar Pujara

Indian Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is back home after his stint in England with the county team, Nottinghamshire. After his return, Pujara remarked that he enjoyed his tryst with the county team and said he would love to play in England again given a chance.

This is not the first time that Pujara has played county cricket in England. He previously represented Yorkshire and Derbyshire respectively. Given Team India is scheduled to play a Test series in Sri Lanka later this month, Pujara took a trip down memory lane recalling the 2015 series win in Sri Lanka which was the first by an Indian team in 22 years. Pujara scored an unbeaten 145 in the third Test leading India to a long overdue victory on Lankan soil.

On being asked about his experience in England, Pujara said, “It was great to be associated with Nottinghamshire. I enjoyed playing on wickets in England in challenging conditions. Facing fast bowlers seamers there is a different experience when compared to playing in India. I am happy that I was able to cope well and score runs,”

“During the county stint, I got to spend time with English players Stuart Broad and Samit Patel (who both play for Nottinghamshire) and former England coach Peter Moores. I discussed playing on different kinds of pitches and learnt about life on the county circuit,” Pujara ended up scoring 233 runs in 5 innings in England.

Pujara on his tryst with England

He was in riveting form this home season sitting on top of the charts with 1316 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 62.66.

“That century was in 2015 against Lanka was a career- defining one for me. I was under pressure and had been struggling for form. It was a difficult phase but I always believed in my abilities. I felt happy to score when the team needed it the most,” he said. “It was a matter of proving my critics wrong. I had worked hard and the results were evident. I was relieved to get the runs in tough conditions,” Pujara added.

The Saurashtra lad also praised Rahul Dravid calling him a “humble person” who helped him when he was out of form by observing him in the nets. Dravid told him that there was no real problem with his technique. On the other hand, he was reluctant to comment on the tentative issue between Kohli and Kumble resulting in the latter exiting as coach of the team. Pujara’s attention will be on Sri Lanka as India prepare for a full-fledged series against the Lankans starting July 26.