Winning Test Championship Is A Bigger Achievement Than White-Ball Titles: Cheteshwar Pujara

For India’s Cheteshwar Pujara, winning the ICC Test Championship will be a much bigger achievement than lifting a world title in the white-ball format. Pujara, a Test specialist, is a vital cog in the side’s batting order. 

“When you become Test champions, I would say it is more than winning an ODI or a T20 World Cup. The reason is, this format is the ultimate format,” Pujara, who last turned out for India in limited-overs cricket back in 2014, said during the latest episode of ‘Inspiration’ on India Today.

Cheteshwar Pujara keeps Test crown above white-ball feat

Pujara would be mighty pleased by the manner in which India have performed in the Test Championship. Virat Kohli and Co. have been phenomenal, winning over West Indies by a 2-0 margin before keeping a clean slate against South Africa and Bangladesh by a 3-0 and 2-0 margin respectively.

India lifted the 50-over World Cup twice and placed their hands on the World T20 once. But Pujara feels even his colleagues would agree with him when it comes to keeping a world title in whites as the most scintillating moment.

Nothing like becoming World Test Champion: Pujara

“If you ask any great cricket player from the past, even the present cricketers, they would say that Test cricket is the most challenging format of this game. And when you become world champion of Test cricket, there is nothing like it.” said the 32-year-old, who has 75 Test caps under his belt.

Pujara has been in fine form. He has hit a watchful 53 in the ongoing warm-up game against New Zealand XI. India won the T20I series but conceded authority in the shortest format. The teams will now move onto red-ball cricket and Pujara would look to replicate his good work Down-Under and tilt the series in his team’s favor.