I was worried when I was still on zero after 30 balls: Cheteshwar Pujara

CHENNAI: “Like Headingley in April,” former England and Yorkshire bowler Matthew Hoggard had said of a wet practice pitch in Kolkata which cancelled a training session of the visiting team back in 2001.

The home of Yorkshire cricket has the reputation of producing strips which make batting the most challenging task in the early part of the English County Championship. Ball swinging around in damp conditions, it’s difficult for batsmen who are not accustomed to it.

It’s a challenge Cheteshwar Pujara has chosen to embrace, as Yorkshire’s overseas pro this season. Although it will be his fourth county outing, this is the first time that he is going there for a decent length of time, after short stints in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Reaching in April, the batsman will return to India for Afghanistan’s inaugural Test in June. Going back again will depend on the Indian team’s programme ahead of the England tour in July.

Keeping himself occupied during the IPL — an event where he is not in demand — getting a chance to participate in a competition deemed to play an important role in a batsman’s overall development, and getting used to conditions in England before a Test tour; there are many incentives for India’s Test No 3, who became the farther of a daughter last month.

“In county cricket at this time of the year, average first-innings total can be around 230. There will be few chances to score a hundred. So it will be an opportunity to improve technique and concentration. This being the first half of the English summer, it will be cold and it could also rain. With the ball swinging around amidst all that, it’s a kind of test you won’t get elsewhere,” Pujara told Express.

The kind of game based on caution and doggedness the 30-year-old is getting ready to play is something that characterises him. It’s an approach that has won him accolades as well as the respect of peers.
Ironically, and disconcertingly for him, the same philosophy has also earned him criticism. It’s unusual for a Test batsman to be criticised for going slow in the middle, but in case of Pujara, this has happened.
The batsman says that he is least bothered.

“If you look at the Test matches played in South Africa this year, other than AB de Villiers, every batsman has had strike-rates of below 50. That’s Test cricket. We don’t play for strike-rates or to make statements. We play to win games. And there’s no talk of strike-rates as far as the team is concerned. It’s mostly in the media. As long as I’m contributing to the team’s success, I’m happy.”

Pujara’s 179-ball 50 on a seaming pitch in Johannesburg where he took over 50 deliveries to score his first run emphasises what he is saying. Sometimes in the longest format, sticking around is more valuable than quick runs. It’s a thankless job which has to be done. If done properly, the batsman understands its value.

“If I could survive on that wicket for 70 overs, I can do it anywhere. I was worried when I saw I was on zero after 30 balls. But it was an achievement to score runs on that pitch.”

Having played 17 matches in the County Championship spread over three seasons for Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, Pujara believes the upcoming stint will get him ready for the Test series in the second half of the English summer. Having notched up 222 runs in 10 innings — with 55 being his highest — on his previous trip to that nation in 2014, it’s a record he would like to better.

“That being a first tour of England for a lot of us, we were a little inexperienced. I got good starts but could not get big scores. I think we had put ourselves under pressure. We will be well prepared this time,” said Pujara.

Hundreds and handling the ball

Cheteshwar Pujara has scored a ton in each of his three previous stints in the English County Championship. In the first year (2014), he was out handling the ball once. This is the first time that he is going for a long period after having played mostly as a stop-gap in previous outings.

atreyo@newindianexpress.com