“I am not a power-hitter but I try to learn from Virat, Rohit” says Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara has always carried a reputation for being a great Test player. It has been an obstacle when it comes to his IPL career. But now, the India No 3 is gearing up to play for CSK in the upcoming edition, having learnt by watching the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Pujara was picked up by CSK at a base price of Rs 50 lakh after being unsold for many years. He is now ready to conquer the shortest format of the game with a changed mind-set and a few tricks up his sleeve. 

When asked about his strike-rate, which has been an area of concern because of his lack of power-hitting, Pujara said he is going to rely a lot on timing like the Indian captain Kohli or his deputy Rohit. 

“…When it comes to strike rate, yes, I agree that I’m not a power-hitter. But at the same time, you learn from players like Virat (Kohli). Rohit (Sharma), he is not purely a power-hitter, but he is one of the best timers of the ball I have seen in the shorter formats,” Pujara told ESPN Cricinfo.

He further reiterated that New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is also a great example to learn from since he plays all kinds of cricketing shots.

“You learn from players like Kane Williamson. Even Steven Smith. All of them score runs by just playing cricketing shots, and at the same time they will be innovative,” Pujara said.

“I also have that mindset, that if I want to be successful, I also need to be innovative, but at the same time you can still score runs by playing cricket shots. You need to get better at generating power, I won’t deny that, but ultimately cricketing sense is what I feel will be your main strength.”

The 33-year-old also admitted that as a youngster, he used to think that adapting to the T20 gameplay will hamper his Test cricket but that has changed.

“… it all comes with experience. When I was playing the T20 format in the past, I had a little bit of a worry that what if my Test cricket gets spoiled? Then there will be some technical error once the IPL gets over.

“But now I am over that. What I realised over a period of time is my natural game, my strengths, will never go away,” Pujara said.

Pujara attributes his change of mind to a conversation he had with Rahul Dravid a long time ago.

“This advice I got from Rahul bhai (Dravid) long ago, but I would still like to mention it. He told me that your natural game will not change although you try playing different shots.

“I started playing cricket at an early age. I made my first-class debut in 2005-06. So it is almost 15 years now where I’ve played this game.

“So if I am playing the T20 format now, when I prepare for a Test series I won’t forget Test cricket. Adapting to T20 format and moving into Test cricket again won’t be an issue, for sure.”

Pujara has also been vocal about what he feels about game formats, and says if someone has been a successful red ball player, dealing with a white ball format isn’t that difficult.

“I definitely think so, especially the way the white ball travels. It is just about making the mental change. I feel that mentally if you are ready to make some adjustments, you don’t need to take a lot of pressure,” he said.

“In Test cricket there is a lot of pressure, there is a price on your wicket. But in the shorter format you just need to express yourself and play all the shots you can.”

(With inputs from PTI)