Steyn and Morkel test spurred me on, says Pujara
There will be many reasons for Cheteshwar Pujara to feel special about playing the second Test at Colombo from August 3. For someone whose father dedicated his life trying to make an international cricketer out of his son, it will be a proud moment for the Pujara family to see him complete 50 Tests.
While it may be no record, it is considered the basic mark in the game that proves to Pujara he belongs at the highest level. If he gets 44 more runs, Pujara will complete 4000 runs.
He has warmed up for the occasion with 53 in the Galle Test, taking his average to 52.18.
“The way things have shaped up so far, the career has been really good. There have been ups and downs but looking at recent form, I will be looking forward to playing in the 50th Test and scoring some runs,” said Pujara.
Ultimately, how you cope with the toughest tests is what shapes your career. Pujara says he was lucky his first tour was to South Africa (2011).
“Well, my first away tour after making my debut was when we went to South Africa. Facing Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel was the toughest part of my career. I learnt, and when I went there in 2013, it was a different ball game,” said Pujara, 29.
The most memorable part of that tour was the battle between Sachin Tendulkar and Steyn. Having watched it first-hand, Pujara went back wiser.
“I told myself I have to work hard on my game, especially if I want to play at the international level against world-class bowlers in different conditions. I really worked hard on my game, and I got results in 2012 and 2013.
“I was looking at players like Sehwag, Gambhir and Sachin Paaji, all of them got runs on that tour. I was trying to see the things they were trying to do. I had a chat with them and tried implementing a few things in the nets, which did help me later on.”
Pujara said getting a double hundred in his first game for the India U-19 team and performing at the U-19 World Cup gave him the belief.
“The year 2010 was the most crucial for me when I made my debut. The first Test I still remember because I wanted to play with legends like Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Sehwag. To share the dressing room with them… those are the moments that have stood apart. When we talk about Test series, the recent one against Australia was the toughest.”
On father, Arvind, he said: “At times, he has been very critical about my batting but now we have come to an understanding... He’s not strict anymore.”