"We have to accept the conditions and move on" - Cheteshwar Pujara on playing at the Motera pitch

Cheteshwar Pujara has said teams would have to accept whatever pitch and conditions are offered at the new Motera stadium.

The newly built world's largest cricket stadium is yet to host a first-class game. The 24th of February's Test match between Indian and England will be the first game the 1,10,000 capacity stadium will host.

Growing up in Rajkot, a four-hour drive from Ahmedabad, Cheteshwar Pujara is no stranger to playing at the Motera. However, the Indian star is aware that Team India doesn't have much experience with the pink-ball.

"We didn’t have too many games after the completion of the stadium due to COVID, so I feel we have to accept the conditions and move on. We don’t have enough experience with the pink ball. We will get used to it as we keep playing more. Going forward, not sure if we’ll play more games with the pink ball," Pujara said in a virtual conference.

How good is that view for a nets session 😍😍#INDvENG #TeamIndia @Paytm pic.twitter.com/v0sfOMfzHp

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2021

Cheteshwar Pujara incidentally played the last Test which Motera hosted in 2012 before being rebuilt as the world's largest cricket stadium.

Pujara smashed a 206* against England in that match, which the hosts won by 9 wickets.

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Cheteshwar Pujara indicates Team India have no specific plan for the pink-ball Test

Cheteshwar Pujara

When asked about Team India's specific preparation for the pink-ball Test, the 33-year-old insisted that the hosts will stick to their plan irrespective of what ball is used.

"It’s again a Test; we’ll have to play normal cricket, have similar game-plans to what we had in the last match, depending on how the pitch is. As a team, we have certain goals as batting and bowling units, so we would stick to that.” Pujara said.

The India-England series is currently tied at 1-1, and both teams are in the running for a place in the ICC World Test Championship final.

The visitors will need to win their following two Tests to book their place in the Test Championship final. A draw would be no good for Joe Root and his men.

Meanwhile, India needs to win the series by either 2-1 or 3-1 to make the finals.

Snapshots from #TeamIndia's training session at the Motera ahead of the pink-ball Test.@Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/RTWxUVVNla

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2021