"The Moment I Start Scoring Runs In First-Class Games, I’ll Be Back Into The Team" - Cheteshwar Pujara
Published - 12 Aug 2023, 12:04 PM | Updated - 12 Aug 2023, 12:55 PM
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Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has expressed his delight with his batting performances for Sussex in the ongoing One-Day Cup in England. Cheteshwar Pujara hoped to make a comeback into India’s Test squad by scoring runs in the upcoming domestic red-ball season.
Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from the recently concluded two-match Test series against the West Indies. The right-handed batter failed to make an impact with the bat in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2023 series and World Test Championship Final against Australia
I Am Still In The Scheme Of Things – Cheteshwar Pujara
Speaking on Sussex’s YouTube channel, Cheteshwar Pujara mentioned that he is still in the selectors’ scheme of things, hoping to make a comeback in the Test series against South Africa.
“Yeah, it’s nice to score runs. Look, I always try and control the things which I can and it’s always about getting as many runs as possible in whatever games I play. I am still in the scheme of things (for India), so I hope that the moment I start scoring runs in first-class games, I’ll be back into the team, but I’ll just try and be in the present, try and take one game at a time.”
“We are not going to play any more Test matches in the next two-three months’ time,” he continued. “The next Test series is in South Africa in December so there is a long way to go, but I’ll try and focus on the next few games and then try and move into the Championships because we have a few important Championships games coming up in September. We have a chance to qualify and that’s the prime focus for us,” he added.
The 35-year-old scored twin centuries for Sussex in the One-Day Cup, with scores of 106 off 119 balls against Northamptonshire and an unbeaten 117 against Somerset. He has amassed 304 runs in the four matches played in the tournament so far.
Why He Has Been Made The Scapegoat – Sunil Gavaskar
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar earlier criticized the selectors for dropping Pujara from the squad against the West Indies, pointing out that the entire batting lineup had failed in the WTC final.
“Why has he been dropped? Why has he been made the scapegoat for our batting failures? He has been a loyal servant of Indian cricket. A loyal and quiet servant. A loyal and quiet achiever,” Gavaskar said.
“But because he does not have millions of followers on platforms who will make a noise in case he gets dropped, you drop him. That is something beyond understanding. What is the criteria of dropping him and keeping the others who failed?” he added.
Pujara played for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2023 after missing the Windies tour. He smashed a 133-run knock against Central Zone. He scored 185 runs in four innings with an average of 46.25.
Also read: IND vs WI: Cheteshwar Pujara’s Test Career All But Over, Says Wasim Jaffer
