By Pragya Tiwari, IANS,
New Delhi : Cheteshwar Pujara is dubbed by his zealous supporters as the next great India batsman, an heir to none other than Rahul Dravid.
The Saurashtra batsman though is still on the fringe of national selection — and he is willing to bide his time. In the meantime, he wants the country’s top cricketers to play in domestic cricket so that youngsters like him could sharpen their skills by rubbing shoulders with top guns.
The 21-year-old Pujara is back playing Ranji Trophy after undergoing a knee surgery six months ago. He has picked up the threads from where he left off last season by scoring a double century in his first national championship match this year to add to his three triple hundreds in 24 days last year, two of which came in the under-22 competition. He is hungry for more.
Pujara, however, wants to test himself against the best bowlers in the land and for that international players will have to find time to play in the Ranji Trophy to make it more meaningful.
“I feel top international players should play in the Ranji Trophy. There is a lot of potential at the domestic level. If international players play in the tournament, it will enhance the experience of Ranji players,” Pujara told IANS.
“If a Chirag Pathak (Saurashtra opener) faces Zaheer Khan in a Ranji Trophy match, he will get to know what to expect at the international level. Same is the case if say R. Vinay Kumar bowls to Sachin Tendulkar. It will improve the quality of the players as well as domestic cricket.”
The youngster came into the reckoning when he finished as the highest scorer in the Under-19 World Cup in 2006 in Sri Lanka. Even though India lost the final to Pakistan, Pujara had a standout performance.
He carried his form into domestic circuit and was the top run-getter in the 2007-08 Ranji season. His ability to score heavily and the temperament to stay at the crease for long had experts drawing parallels with Rahul Dravid.
For all his ability to pile on big scores, Pujara realises it is not easy to break through into the national side with quite a few claimants waiting for their turn.
But, Pujara is determined to fulfil his late mother’s dream of seeing him play for India.
“I will get my chance,” says a quietly confident Pujara, who got a D-grade national contract from the board recently.
“I am working hard and selectors are taking note of my performance. I am in the reckoning and I am happy scoring runs.”
Pujara, who has signed for the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders this year, was unlucky to miss the action in the first two editions.
Does he feel that missing the IPL affected his chances of playing for India?
“Well, it could have made some difference, but I got injured before the start of the IPL this year. But I was there with the team KKR supporting me a lot.
Coached by his father, Pujara is keen on making a mark in the shortest version of the game.
“I have been working on my Twenty20 game. I picked some tips at the KKR camp. In the last two years, my strike rate in the limited-overs game has improved. Earlier, I was not happy with my footwork but I have worked on that too.
“Even though I was hitting the ball well, I felt I needed more power in my legs and I am working on it.”
Pujara went through a strenuous regime at the National Cricket Academy after his knee operation and the result is there for all to see — a double century in his comeback match against Maharashtra.
“I was nervous before the match as I was playing after six months. The double century against Maharashtra was quite rewarding,” he said.
“It is not easy to make a comeback after such a long injury lay-off, but my father told me that I should work hard for the thing I enjoy the most. And cricket is what I love the most.”
Saurashtra, after their loss to Delhi last week, is among the bottom three teams in the group in the super league and Pujara is now geared up to pull them out of the danger zone when they play against Baroda Tuesday.