What’s the story?
Describing his match-winning ton during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2015 as a career-defining one, Indian Cricket Team Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara said that he is looking forward to the tour to the island nation which begins later this month with great anticipation.
While the 2015 series saw only three Tests being played out, the 2017 tour will be a full-fledged one featuring play 3 Tests, 5 ODIs, and a lone T20I.
"That century was in 2015 against Lanka was a career- defining one for me. I was under pressure and had been struggling for form. It was a difficult phase but I always believed in my abilities. I felt happy to score when the team needed it the most," he said.
"It was a matter of proving my critics wrong. I had worked hard and the results were evident. I was relieved to get the runs in tough conditions," he added.
The background
India’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2015 was a hugely significant one in more ways than one with the series being Virat Kohli’s first full-fledged series as skipper of the Indian Test side. Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara also bid farewell to international cricket on a winning note after the first Test at the Galle which Sri Lanka won to take a 1-0 lead.
However, India came back strongly in the remaining two matches to clinch the series 2-1 with Pujara’s century in the third Test, when he carried his bat through the innings, proving to be a turnaround not only in the series but from a personal point of view as well.
The heart of the matter
Pujara secured the Man of the Match for his knock for 145 in the third Test which helped India win the match by 117 runs and thereby the series 2-1 and he has not looked back since sealing his spot in the Test side.
Heading into the series with his spot hanging in the balance, the Saurashtra cricketer ensured that he established himself as a vital part of the Indian Test setup under Kohli’s captaincy.
With his duties for the national team restricted to the five-day format, Pujara spent time with Nottinghamshire in the English domestic circuit recently as the ODI side were taking part in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy where they made their way to the final before losing out to arch-rivals Pakistan.
This was Pujara’s third stint in County Cricket, having played for Yorkshire and Derbyshire previously, and he had a short yet successful stint this time around with 233 runs from five innings and the 29-year-old made it clear that he wants to come back again as and when time permits.
He said that playing in English conditions where the seamers get a lot of assistance was hugely challenging as a batsman and was happy that he could cope up well during his time with Nottinghamshire where he played along England internationals like Stuart Broad and Samit Patel.
What’s next?
India will play a couple of warm-up matches in Sri Lanka before the first Test which begins on July 26 at Kandy. Galle and Colombo are the venues for the other two Test matches before the attention shifts to the ODI series which begins on August 20 in Colombo.
The only T20I will also be played in Colombo at the R Premadasa Stadium on September 6.
Extra Cover: India's tour of Sri Lanka schedule announced
Author’s take
Despite a few hiccups along the way, Pujara has well and truly established himself as a rock in the middle order for the Indian Test side. With a solid temperament and technique, he has the ability to paly on all surfaces and considering his success during his previous tour in Sri Lanka, no wonder he is is looking forward to the tour with huge expectations.
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