IND vs NZ: Will Have A Fearless Mindset Against New Zealand, States Cheteshwar Pujara

Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara on Tuesday said that his approach against New Zealand in the upcoming two-match Test series will be fearless.

Pujara found some rhythm in the last two Test matches against England, where he registered the scores of 91 & 61, both coming in the second innings.

Pujara was constantly criticised for his inconsistency with the runs, and it was also said that he wouldn’t be continuing with the Indian team further.

Preparations for the New Zealand series has been good: Cheteshwar Pujara

However, the Saurashtra batsman was named in India’s squad for the two-Test games against the Black Caps. Pujara said he would like to carry his fearless mindset against the Kiwis.

“My mindset was different in the England Test series. I was a lot more fearless. There was not much change in technique. So far, preparations for the New Zealand series has been good, and I’ll look to carry that same fearless mindset against the Kiwis as well,” Pujara said in a virtual press conference.

“I have been contributing with 50-60 runs. As long as I play well, I am not worried. It will come,” he added.

Added responsibility can be good: Cheteshwar Pujara

With BCCI resting some of the senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah for the first Test, Pujara has been named the vice-captain of the Indian Test side. The 33-year-old Pujara said that the added responsibility might work in his favour.

“Added responsibility can be good and can sometimes work in your favour. Even as a senior player in the side, I used to share my inputs with the think-tank regularly,” Pujara said.

Pujara has scored 6494 runs from 90 Tests and has made 31 half-centuries and 18 hundreds for India.

The first Test between India and New Zealand starts on November 25 (Thursday) at the Greenpark Stadium in Kanpur.

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