Cheteshwar Pujara Far More Consistent Than Kohli Or Dhawan: Gautam Gambhir

Lavishing praise on Cheteshwar Pujara, Gautam Gambhir has said the right-handed batsman is more consistent than the likes of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan in Test cricket.

Pujara has been one of India’s most consistent performers in the longest format of the game over the last couple of years. The 29-year old enjoyed a highly successful home season which consisted of as many as 13 Tests. He finished the mammoth 2016-17 home season as India’s highest run-getter, amassing a staggering 1316 runs which included four hundreds and eight half-centuries. His form played an integral part in India’s series wins over New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia at home.

And the right-handed batsman has continued his form in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka too. After scoring a sublime 153 in the series-opener at Galle, he scored 133 in the second Test at Colombo which India won by an innings and 53.

His consistent performances have convinced Gambhir that the Saurashtra star is ahead of captain Virat Kohli in terms of consistency as far as Test cricket is concerned,

“We don’t give too much importance to Test cricket, and that is the reason. It is all about white-ball cricket and what people do in ODIs and T20s. But yes, when it comes to red-ball cricket, he is right at the top. Maybe far more consistent than Kohli or Dhawan,” Gambhir was quoted by DNA.

When asked about the reason behind Pujara’s amazing run-scoring feat in Test cricket, Gambhir said:“Look, one thing which is really important to note is that he’s playing only one form of the game. He can actually keep his mind pretty stable while playing and preparing only for five-day cricket. Had he been playing One-Dayers and T20Is as well, it would’ve been much more difficult for him, because sometimes you have to change your mindset. When you’re not scoring runs in One-Day cricket, you go into a Test series not with the same confidence. But when you’re playing just one format, it is easier to be consistent than someone who is playing all three formats.”

While Pujara may rue not playing limited-overs cricket for India and the lucrative Indian Premier League, Gambhir feels playing one format is a blessing in disguise for the right-hander.

“He’s a quality player, no doubt about that, but playing only one format definitely goes in his favour. And also playing county cricket ensures that his focus is always on red-ball cricket. It keeps you in that frame of mind of playing four-day cricket and red-ball cricket as well, which is of a lot of help when you go into a Test match. You don’t get enough red-ball cricket in India, especially when the IPL (Indian Premier League) is on. And, India plays a lot of white-ball cricket. So, the only way you can get into that zone is either play county cricket or keep preparing with the red ball. But the best preparation is going to county and getting four-day matches, also under difficult conditions because in England the ball does a lot of things. So from county cricket when you come to Sri Lankan conditions, it always gets easier,” Gambhir said.