Cheteshwar Pujara builds the perfect Indian batter; leaves out legends including Rohit Sharma
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In a recent interview with BBC Sports, Cheteshwar Pujara gave insights on how a perfect Indian batter could be built, drawing on some great antics from former Indian players.
In an engaging conversation with BBC Sport, India's test veteran Cheteshwar Pujara suggested his unique perspective on how the best Indian batter could be shaped with an outline produced by adopting technical blends from India's greatest cricketers.
Rather than naming just one player as the ultimate greatest cricketer with every quality of a perfect batsman, Pujara suggested selecting individual traits from different legends of the game to handcraft a unique talent of Indian cricket.
This thoughtful remark made by Cheteshwar Pujara has sparked conversations among cricket pundits and fans.
Cheteshwar Pujara's outline for a perfect Indian Batsman
Aggression vs Pace
When asked about how dominant a batter should be against pace bowling, Cheteshwar Pujara rightly named the Indian master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar can be named the most fearless opponent against pace bowling in the Indian lineup.
Sachin Tendulkar was widely known for his controlled shots, as he deeply relied on technique to counter the World's greatest pacers. At whichever ground around the world, from Sharjah to Lord's, Cape Town to Melbourne, the master blaster stood tall against pacers.
From his fearless take on bouncy tracks of Australia to facing the wide range of the world's most quality pacers in Allan Donald, Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, and Glenn McGrath, he treated every batter with calculated aggression and a wide array of shots like uppercuts, straight drives and flicks of the wrists.
Defence vs Pace
The great Indian batter Rahul Dravid is among the very few cricketers to have surpassed 10k runs across both formats of the game.
Known for his high-quality technique, unshakeable patience and solid defence, Dravid was titled 'The Wall' of world cricket.
Rahul Dravid was often regarded as one of the players built on the oldest copybooks of the game, as his eye on the ball, soft hands and precise footwork strategy allowed him to minimize risk.
Known for his unforgettable stoic stays at the crease and ability to judge swingers, Dravid's defence has been recognized as the best by Cheteshwar Pujara.
Aggression vs Spin
Though many Indian batters have excelled against spin, Navjot Singh Sidhu's unique blend of aggression and tactical brilliance made him one of the deadliest batters against spin bowling. He believed in breaking a spinner's confidence by not allowing them to settle into the game.
Navjot Singh Sidhu had the special ability to dance down the track to hit spinners straight back over the bowler's head while also having an extensive ability to play spinners on the back foot.
To rock-back spinners through the covers to sit back and hit them over mid-wicket, Sidhu never feared the likes of the world's greatest like Saqlain Mushtaq, Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan.
Hence, to the surprise of many, Pujara's idealism of Sidhu's domination against spinners seems the perfect choice.
Defence vs Spin
Not to the surprise of many, Cheteshwar Pujara once again ideally picked Rahul Dravid as one of the players with the best defending skills against spin bowling. Though the batter himself also had a remarkable defence when facing spinners.
Mentality
Indian modern-day great Virat Kohli is known to be one of the strongest characters in Indian cricket. Known to have a champion's mindset, an undying focus and passion for the game, and a love for wins, his work rate and confidence make him one of the greatest thinkers in world cricket.
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Hence, a batter possessing all of the above characteristics would be the ideal player who can be titled a batter with technique, composure, focus and immense passion.
Building the perfect India batter with @cheteshwar1 🏏 pic.twitter.com/TLoszyfNPo
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 23, 2025
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Cheteshwar Pujara India vs England India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team Virat Kohli Sachin Tendulkar Rahul Dravid Navjot Singh Sidhu Rohit Sharma
