‘Passionate’ Pujara reflects on his love for the game

Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has been a constant in the Indian team for many years, especially, the longest format, where the 36-year-old has played at his best. However, after having played 103 Tests, Pujara has now become a sporadic addition to the Indian Test squad.

This, however, does not stop Pujara from putting in the hard yards as he continues to grind out in the Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra. Speaking of the same, Pujara recently stated how his passion for the game has never tethered as he continues to try and make his way to the top.

Pujara revealed that he wants to qualify for the Ranji knockout stages with Saurashtra and opined that the matter is about having the same passion, no matter if he plays for Saurashtra, Sussex, or his club.

“By playing a competitive club match in Mumbai just before the Ranji season, I just love this game. I am passionate about it. I got a hundred in that match against Dhawal Kulkarni, Sandeep Sharma, Shams Mulani and Shivam Dube. My club team was weaker against the opposition. So, I wanted to ensure I put my best foot forward and we won the match,” Pujara was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“I am saying this because that’s exactly why I play for Saurashtra. I want us to qualify for the Ranji knockouts. It’s about having the same passion whether it is Saurashtra, Sussex or my club,” he added.

My batting is always based on the following conditions: Pujara

Furthermore, Pujara opined that his batting is always based on conditions. He also talked of the changes in English pitches and the way they play the game.

“My batting is always based on conditions. On pitches in India that are good, I don’t take time to get to the 50s. It’s only in England, for example, when the conditions demand that the new ball has to be respected. That’s the traditional way of playing Test cricket,” he said.

“Now England is playing more attacking cricket, but that’s on certain pitches. Also, the Dukes ball doesn’t have the same movement now. Earlier, cricket in England was a lot different. It’s easy to say that the game is moving and people are playing a lot more shots. But the pitches allow that now. You can’t do that in South Africa. I need to understand my strength and that’s how it will help the team. It will help whoever is walking in to bat after me. When I score well, it would help the team. And in cricket, I believe it’s more important to win the game rather than think about how you play. If you are playing positively and bringing success to the team it’s fine. If not, there’s no point in saying proudly that we are playing positively. There are many ways of playing the game,” he added.

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