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Irani Trophy: Centurion Pujara pleased with 'ideal preparation' for upcoming Tests

Rest of India defeated Gujarat by six wickets to lift Irani Trophy.

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Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha pose with the Irani Cup on Tuesday
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India’s No. 3 Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara rated Wriddhiman Saha’s 203 not out off just 272 balls with 26 fours and six sixes as the “one of the best innings” he has seen in domestic cricket. Saha’s maiden first-class double century and his 316 undefeated fifth wicket partnership with Pujara saw Rest of India defeat Ranji Trophy champions Gujarat by six wickets at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday.

“This is one of the best knocks of his. It was one of the best innings I have seen in domestic cricket and the longest partnership we have had. After a couple of overs he felt he has to take on the bowlers and even I felt the same. We wanted to unsettle their line and length, they don't have pace – only medium pace – and both of us have faced fast bowlers at 140 km an hour. To counter them, we had to come up with a plan. Wriddhi came up with that and I supported him,” said Pujara, who himself helped to 116 not out.

“When we lost four wickets (63/4 on Monday), I thought we needed a big partnership. The way he played, the way he started approaching the innings was fantastic. After a couple of overs, he told me 'I am going to take on the bowlers'. I said yes. We needed someone to take on the bowlers and unsettle them, that's what he started doing. At the other end, I was there to hold up the innings, playing the ball on merit. Things did work out for us. We had the proper plan when we lost four wickets,” Pujara said.

Pujara said that this Irani Cup tie was an ideal preparation for the upcoming Tests – one against Bangladesh followed by four against Australia. “It doesn’t matter what kind of bowlers you are facing at the situation we were in (63/4 in second innings chasing 379). You are under pressure whether you have played so many matches or not. You need to see your team through the difficult phase and it was certainly an ideal preparation for the (upcoming) Test matches,” Pujara, who scored his sixth first-class century this 2016-17 season including three in Tests, said.

Playing in games like Irani Cup and spending time at the crease helps, the 28-year-old from Saurashtra said. “You start getting concentration back, footwork back. It was a challenging situation. You even get matured, no matter what bowlers they had. Mentally, it was not easy handling such situations. When you see 400 on board, no matter what your track record is, you still have to bat well.” Out of 10 Test centuries that Pujara has scored in 43 Tests, two have been double tons including 204 against Australia in Hyderabad in March 2013. With Australia returning for a four-Test series next month, Pujara was upbeat.

“That (2014) was a different time. They did not have an experienced team. Most of them (current team) did play in that last series and they know what to expect from Indian pitches and will be well prepared. At the same time, we have been playing very good cricket and when it comes to Tests, we did really well in 2016. Our fast bowlers and spinners did really well against England and our lower-order contribution, which I keep saying, did help us win the series against England.”

On his personal touch this season, Pujara was pleased to be among the runs. “I batted well against New Zealand and England. Also in Duleep Trophy and all the first-class games I had played, I did well. Moving into 2017, we got a few domestic T20s lined up before we play the one-off Test against Bangladesh (in Hyderabad, February 9-13). I am looking forward and want to make a mark in that particular format.” Having been labelled as a longer-format player, Pujara is keen to excel in the shorter ones too. He played in the DY Patil all-India T20 tournament recently in Navi Mumbai and scored a hundred and two fifties for his employers, Indian Oil. 

“I am very confident that I can play well in other formats of the game. Time will come. I just will have to keep playing other formats and keep scoring runs and probably I will have to wait for my opportunity. I am improving, playing more shots and playing with higher strike rate. So probably that's just the tag, a perception that will change in time to come.” Pujara said he was also keen on playing in the Indian Premier League after the Australia Tests.

guru.krishnan@dnaindia.net

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