Cheteshwar Pujara to play for Derbyshire in county championship - reports

Unconfirmed reports: Cheteshwar Pujara signed by Derbyshire?

Amidst speculation of various counties in talk to sign Cheteshwar Pujara, who has recently been given a green signal by BCCI to play county cricket, the Indian Test no.3 has signed a deal to play for Derbyshire in the Division Two of county championship for the rest of the summer, according to a report from Rediff.com earlier today.

The 26-year old, who has made plenty of starts on the current tour without going on to the big scores for which he is known, has opted for the county despite several offers from elsewhere.

Pujara averages just under 59 in first-class cricket and over fifty in the one-day game, with a highest score of 352.

With twenty-six centuries and twenty-five fifties in his short career so far, there is little doubt that he is a batsman of great talent and will undoubtedly benefit from the exposure to English wickets.

He made 81 against us at Derby earlier in the tour and the signing would create a buzz around the 3AAA County Ground in the remaining games.

“This will be announced soon both by the cricketer himself as well Derbyshire County Cricket Club," an unimpeachable source very close to the right-hand middle-order batsman told Rediff on condition of anonymity.

"No, it isn't for money, but for the experience of playing in English cricket, which is a challenge in itself for the best of cricketers, that Cheteshwar has decided to play for a county, which in his case happens to be Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

“Though Cheteshwar will get to play hardly three-four matches, as the season is approaching its conclusion, it should do him a world of good to rectify some errors which were noticed in his technique during the recent five Tests in England in which he failed to live up to his talent and expectations of all who thought he would score plenty of runs.

“Cheteshwar is all keyed up to make his county debut and make up for his failure in the Test series against England,” the source added.

There’s been no official confirmation yet.

Should it happen, Pujara will become the fourth Indian to play for Derbyshire, after Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Mohammad Azharuddin and Mohammad Kaif.