Cheteshwar Pujara picks his defining knock: “If I hadn’t scored those runs, I might not have been playing international cricket”

On the eve of his 100th Test, Cheteshwar Pujara picked the 72 runs he scored on his debut against Australia in 2010 as the defining knock of his career. According to the 35-year-old, if he hadn’t done well in that game, he might not have been playing international cricket.

Pujara was trapped lbw for four by Mitchell Johnson in his first Test innings. He, however, scored a brilliant 72 off 89 balls in the second innings to play a key role in India’s successful chase of 207.

The right-handed batter has gone on to establish himself as one of the lynchpins of the Indian Test team. At a press conference ahead of his 100th Test, which will be played in Delhi, starting Friday, February 17, Pujara was asked to name his favorite knocks. He replied:

“It’s difficult to name (one or) two particular innings. Some of my favorite innings I can mention here, especially the one where I made my debut and scored 72. That was one of the most important innings in my cricketing career. I was very nervous. If I hadn’t scored those runs, maybe I might not have been playing international cricket."

Among his other favorite knocks, he picked the 92 against Australia in 2017 (in Bangalore), his first overseas Test hundred in South Africa, the 123 in Adelaide (2018-19), and his performance in the Gabba Test during the 2020-21 tour, when he took many blows to the body.

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“Ashwin has recently spoken about me being very stubborn” - Pujara on his mental strength

One of the key factors behind Pujara’s success in Test cricket has been his temperament under pressure. He has bailed India out of trouble innumerable times. Asked where he derives his mental strength from, the 35-year-old explained:

“Ashwin has recently spoken about me being very stubborn. As long as you stick to your methods, as long as you are confident about your ways, you can be successful. One has to be disciplined to succeed in Test matches. I have certain routines; I pay a lot of attention to my fitness.

“I do yoga, meditation and pranayam, which has helped me to be in the present and shut down the outside noise. Sometimes you have to detach yourself from what is being spoken outside, be it in a newspaper, or on social media, even if it is positive.”

Pujara added that the same thought process has helped him over the last two to three years, a period during which he has been constantly under the scanner. He concluded:

“It is challenging. You need to be mentally strong. You need to believe in yourself. You should know your strength as a player. That is something which I have backed throughout my career. If I had success in the first five or seven years because of what I have done, I can’t change my game.

"Yes, you can always fine tune. Each and every player has their own style. I have added few shots in my game, which has helped me to be successful in the last couple of years.”

Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were dropped from the Indian team during the home Test series against Sri Lanka last year. The former, however, earned a recall to the national side following a stupendous season in county cricket.