New Delhi. For Team India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, the debut in county cricket was no less than a dream season. He scored 624 runs in 9 matches in the Royal London One Day Cup while playing for Sussex but Pujara recalled the incident which inspired him to perform brilliantly. He recalled the incident of Chennai Super Kings humiliating him in the 2021 IPL season when he was a member of the winning team but did not get a chance to play.
Speaking to Cricket Podcast, the veteran Indian player said, “It’s definitely a different side of my game. The pitches were good, a bit flat but even on those surfaces, you have to be intent on scoring at a high strike-rate. This is something I’ve always worked on.
Told the story of CSK in 2021
He said about the 2021 IPL season, “I was a part of CSK a year ago and when I didn’t play any match and saw people preparing, I told myself that if I want to play in the shorter format, I always have to do my best. The wicket has to cost and you have to hit the shots in the shorter formats.
Help from Grant Flower
He took help from Grant Flower to change his batting approach. He said, “I worked on it before the Royal London One-Day Cup. I went to Grant Flower and I talked to him about some shots I want to work on. While we were training, he Told me I was executing on him very well and it gave me confidence. I thought if I keep working on some lofted shots, I can be successful in shorter formats as well.”
Pujara’s performance in the Royal London One Day Cup
In the Royal London One-Day Cup, Pujara scored three centuries and one half-century with scores of 107, 174, 49*, 66 and 132. He scored 1094 runs in the County Championship Division Two for the same club. Pujara’s recent performance has also proved that his batting approach has changed and it will not be a surprise if he makes a comeback in Team India in the times to come.