Cheteshwar Pujara – The one to be watched

Mumbai ‘A’ team batman Cheteshwar Pujara plays a shot during the second day of a three day cricket practice match between Mumbai ‘A’ and England at The D.Y. Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai on November 4, 2012.

In modern day cricket, timing plays a vital role in every cricketer’s life. This is such a crucial element that can really make or break one’s career. Veteran Ranji player Shitanshu Kotak – who has just retired – is the perfect example.

On the other hand, Praveen Tambe, who was not even able to make it up to the Ranji level despite attaining 40 years of age, has got recognition all round by virtue of his luck and performance in the IPL – courtesy the scouts of Rajasthan Royals.

Likewise, Cheteshwar Pujara, who has done fairly well in the first class cricket since the last six years, somehow could not get a regular place in the Test squad until recently. This batting sensation, who is the current captain of the India A, must be a very happy man now after being inducted for test series against West Indies.

Although this series is going to be historical for the reason that it is the last one for master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Pujara can still steal the show. The test at Eden Gardens in front of the frenzied Kolkata fans is going to be the thrilling encounter.

For Pujara, the challenge exists in form of upcoming youngsters who are knocking on the door. He will have to outperform and excel, as the expectations of millions of the fans have risen to a new height.

The bowling attack of the West Indians is not too tricky, thus Pujara has got a pretty good chance to showcase his determination and mettle. But as a vibrant and promising young batsman, Pujara will have to grab this opportunity whole heartedly.

The stats speak volumes about the talent of Pujara. His average in Tests is 65.55!

If he can maintain it throughout his career, it will be really remarkable; he certainly has a sound technique to help him achieve this.

Let us have a quick look at his profile. Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara was born on 25- 01-88 in Rajkot, Gujarat. He is a player known for possessing a lot of potential. Recently, while playing for India A against West Indies A at Hubli, he had scored unbeaten 306 runs. He has got a tremendous fitness level. Incidentally, his father A S Pujara was also a Ranji Trophy player, so cricket is in his blood.

As a teenager of 14 years, he had already scored 3 big centuries. Also, he had scored a wonderful double century against England while playing for the under 19 team. After making his mark in first class cricket, he finally got a chance in 2010 against Australia. He played an impressive innings of 72. Since then he has reached 1000 runs in Tests, in just 18 innings.

There is no dearth of talent in Pujara, who is highly committed and is able to play long innings. His cool temperament is an added advantage. He is simply a hardworking and mature player with good footwork. He has the ability to read the ball early and thus utilizes this to improvise instantly. Many of the fans truly believe that once settled, he is going to rock.

Wishing him tonnes of good luck!