Nobody can take their place in the team for granted: Cheteshwar Pujara

Indian top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara credited his success to coach Anil Kumble. India completed an emphatic win over New Zealand by whitewashing the visitors 3-0 in the series. The series has been an outstanding one for the hosts. This was only the fourth occasion when India whitewashed an opposition in Test cricket. Pujara had a point to prove when he came into the series. A lot was spoken about his place in the team.

Pujara was made to sit out of the starting eleven in a Test in West Indies. No wonder, he reaffirmed his authority in the middle order. With 373 runs in 6 matches at an average of 74.6, Pujara emerged as the leading run-getter of the series. In a recent interview with TOI, he explained how talking to Kumble helped him improve his game. He revealed that he had a good conversation with Kumble before the final Test. He also mentioned that he always tries to convert his fifties to hundreds.

“At stumps on the third day of the last Test, when I was batting on 1, I had a chat with Anil bhai. He told me that I had all the shots in the book and there is no reason why I cannot get a hundred. He gave me the assurance and I went on to score the century. There are always these expectations on me to convert my fifties into big centuries. So if I fail, it does hurt. But then, I take the expectations in a positive way,” said Pujara.

He further added that Kumble knows the psychology of players. He pointed out how the coach zeroed in on his flaws to help him rectify them. He believes that it was his chat that changed his mindset.

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“Anil bhai is someone who understands a player’s psychology. He drew my attention to small details and told me what I should have be en doing all these days. I can not divulge anything more but I can say that the discussions with him did bring a change to my mindset and subsequently, there was a change in my intent,” said he.

Talking about his own form, Pujara cited that he always backed himself. He did not consider his run in the Caribbean as a poor one. He never put pressure on himself and knew he can do the job in hand. He remarked that he always has the intention of taking the team’s total past 500. He was glad that he could carry forward his form from the Duleep Trophy to the Test level.

“I wasn’t under pressure. I batted well and got a few runs.So I didn’t fail there. I like to spend time in the middle.That helps me to concentrate and gain rhythm. If I can settle down, my aim is to take the team’s total past 500. If I can do that, it gives me a sense of satisfaction and also boosts my confidence. That’s what the runs in the Duleep Trophy did. I am glad that I could translate the form in Duleep Trophy in the New Zealand series,” quoted Pujara.

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Speaking on Test skipper Virat Kohli’s approach of choosing a flexible side, Cheteshwar Pujara was in favor of it. He believes it is a good thing as nobody can take their places for granted in the team. He quoted, “It is good that we have become a flexible side. It means you cannot take your place in the side for granted and it keeps you on your toes. So you have a healthy competition.That’s probably why you will see all the players are performing so well.”