The No. 3 position was a problem area for India in the Test series in Australia. Eventually, the 3-1 defeat was down to the fact that India didn’t put enough runs on the board. All the while, it felt like maybe the selectors missed a trick by not picking Cheteshwar Pujara.
The next red-ball assignment is a five-Test series in England, starting in June. Will Pujara be picked? “I’m playing domestic cricket. If given a chance, I’m ready to grab it with both hands. The hunger is even more. When you are older, you need to work even harder,” said Pujara at the RevSportz Trailblazers 3.0 Conclave on Thursday, in a session that was moderated by RevSportz’s Editor-in-Chief Boria Majumdar.
The session was titled – Never Say Never, Eye on England.
When India won their first-ever Test series in Australia, in 2018-19, Pujara was the standout performer. He scored 521 runs, but more than that, he had faced 1,258 balls.
“Australia are the toughest when it comes to Test cricket. India never like to lose to Australia. That’s why 2018 was like winning the World Cup. It was the biggest achievement of my Test career. And also, 2020-21, when we repeated history.
He gave the lowdown of his preparation, facing Kuldeep Sharma, a left-arm seamer and a buddy from his U-19 days, on a cement pitch from 16-18 yards.
Coming back to the England tour later this year, Pujara said: “We have the bowling. We need to put runs on the board. And we have the players to do that. We have to respect the bowling and the conditions. I won’t say that we don’t have a chance.”
Pujara termed India as favourites in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, and brushed aside India’s ‘home advantage’ debate in Dubai. “I don’t think so. The schedule was put out before the start of the tournament. The tournament is being played in a hybrid model because India couldn’t go to Pakistan due to security reasons,” said Pujara.
The session was the final act of the opening day of the Conclave. The country’s biggest sports conclave has got a roaring start.