I will never have such egos because I have seen and known IPL auctions to be tricky: Cheteshwar Pujara

Indian cricket team batsman Cheteshwar Pujara says he does not hold any grudges at not getting picked during IPL auctions, terming the system 'tricky'. He further added he couldn’t do much about people classifying him as a Test batsman and that he could prove otherwise only when given an opportunity.

Cheteshwar Pujara has not many opportunities, despite having a T20 strike rate of 109.25. On the flip side, players with similar numbers have enjoyed a much longer rope. He, however, said he does not have an ego and that he takes solace from the fact that even a legend like Hashim Amla was overlooked at the player auction.

“As a cricketer, I can’t have that opinion. Also I feel that I am someone who will never have such egos because I have seen and known IPL auctions to be tricky. I have seen world class players like Hashim Amla go unsold at the auctions. There have been lot of good T20 players, who have missed out on auction. So I don’t have any big ego that they are not picking me. Yes, given a choice I would like to play IPL,” Cheteshwar Pujara said in an exclusive interview to PTI.

For the record, Cheteshwar Pujara has represented KKR, RCB and KXIP in the IPL but has only played 30 matches across seven seasons. He has scored 390 runs at an average of 20.53, with his career spanning between 2010 and 2014.

‘It’s a perception being tagged as Test player’: Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara

The Saurashtra batsman, however, has stamped his authority in the longest format of the game. Having scored 5,840 runs at an impressive average of 48.67 in 77 Tests, Cheteshwar Pujara is arguably the first name on the team sheet in the longest format - something that has probably cast him as a Test specialist in people's eyes.

“It’s a perception being tagged as Test player and I can’t do much about it. I have always said that I should get opportunities and once I get opportunities, then only I can prove myself as white ball cricketer,” Cheteshwar Pujara, who was the leading run-getter – 521 runs in four matches – in India’s series-winning Down Tour in 2018/19, added.

Cheteshwar Pujara also boasts a stellar List A record, having scored 4,445 runs at a whopping average of 54.20 in 103 matches.