Cheteshwar Pujara Thanks Rahul Dravid For Helping Him Understand The Importance Of Switching Off From Cricket

Cheteshwar Pujara, the current bedrock of the Indian batting unit, has heaped high praise on former Indian captain and the current head of the National Cricket Academy Rahul Dravid for teaching him the importance of switching off from the game.

Pujara is revered for his ability to focus and concentrate for a long period of time but the right-hander knows that it important to sometimes switch off from the game and discussions with Rahul Dravid and his subsequent experience in county cricket has helped him keep his personal and professional life as separate.

“He helped me understand the importance of switching off from cricket. I had the same thought, more or less, but when I spoke to him, it gave me a lot of clarity about it and I was sure of what I needed to do,” Cheteshwar Pujara told ESPNcricinfo.

“I also saw in county cricket how they keep personal and professional lives separate. I value that advice a lot. Many people consider me to be focused. Yes, I am focused, But I also know when to switch off. There is life beyond cricket. I cannot say in one line what Rahul bhai means to me. He has always been an inspiration, and will remain one,” Pujara said.

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“There is a similarity in our games, but that’s not because of my fascination with him [Rahul Dravid]”- Cheteshwar Pujara

Pujara’s grit, temperament, character, and his style-of-play has drawn comparisons between him and the legendary Rahul Dravid but the Indian No.3 asserted that he has never tried to “copy him.”

Pujara said that the reason behind the similarities between him and Rahul Dravid is not because of his fascination with ‘The Wall’. In fact, he attributed that to his upbringing in Saurashtra where he learned that scoring a mere hundred wasn’t enough and one has to carry his team by batting for a long period of time.

“There is a similarity in our games, but that’s not because of my fascination with him. That came mainly through my experiences with Saurashtra, where I learned that scoring a hundred alone isn’t enough, you have to carry your team,” Cheteshwar Pujara said.

“That is how I learned responsibility – it is about helping my team to raise a big total, and for that I ought to attach importance to my wicket. I learned that from my junior cricket days with Saurashtra, which was a weaker team in domestic cricket,” he added.

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