Reaping rewards for my positive approach says Cheteshwar Pujara

There was a time when Cheteshwar Pujara’s slump in form had cost him his place in the Indian team’s Test XI. But he never lost heart and even went to play in the counties so that he could earn a recall back to the side.

And what a comeback it has been for the 28-year-old. After success against New Zealand he has now already hit two hundreds in the ongoing series against England and is averaging 56.33.

This has been a return to form that he badly needed after he was dropped during the Test tour of the West Indies in August."It was disappointing to be out of the team," Pujara was quoted by Skysports. "There was a phase where I was a little unsure of whether to hang around a bit more or look to score runs.

He thanked Indian legends Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid for helping him getting his form back.

"I would like to thank Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble because both of them really helped me. They told me to stick to the basics, but have that intent to dominate bowlers. "That is something I have worked on, and it has really helped me as I have now struck the right balance between defense and attack.

"It's not just about the strike-rate - there has been a lot of talk about my strike-rate - as Anil told me that strike-rate is for bowlers to worry about, not batsmen.

Pujara also said that he always knew with the runs he has scored getting his touch back would only be a matter of time.

"I'd scored many runs before at international level, and in first-class cricket, so I knew it was just a matter of time till I was back in from. But it's about having that intent to look for boundaries - when you get that bad ball, make sure you hit it because otherwise, you put pressure on yourself."

Lastly, Pujara said that he believes his new found ‘positive’ approach is helping the whole team and it is one of the main reasons why India are currently leading the series 2-0.

"At times, I've felt England are trying to bowl negative lines," added Pujara. "They are trying to bowl wide outside off-stump. But we knew if we kept leaving the ball well, we'd eventually get our runs.

"When our fast bowlers come on, we're always looking to take wickets - obviously there are times where you need to be defensive, but overall we look to be positive."

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