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It will be good to have some practice before Tests, says Cheteshwar Pujara

While Patel led Gujarat to their first Ranji Trophy title, India's Test No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara will be keen to use this game as a preparation for the upcoming one-off Test against Bangladesh followed by the four-Test series against Australia over the next two months.

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Cheteshwar Pujara gives catching practice at CCI on Thursday
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While two teams will battle it out in the five-day Irani Cup starting on Friday, there will be individual contests that will make this tie interesting. While the No. 1 and 2 Test wicketkeepers Wriddhiman Saha and Parthiv Patel are pitting against each other, it is also a clash between two captains who hail from the same state, Gujarat.

While Patel led Gujarat to their first Ranji Trophy title, India's Test No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara will be keen to use this game as a preparation for the upcoming one-off Test against Bangladesh followed by the four-Test series against Australia over the next two months.

Pujara, who is in the middle of a good run in Tests, said: "I think it will be good for me to have some practice before the Test series starts. I always love playing first-class cricket. It gives you the experience, the exposure and helps you keep in touch," the Saurashtra 28-year-old batsman said.

Pujara was India's second highest scorer in the Test series against England in November-December 2016 with 401 runs at 50.12 with two centuries and a fifty. After a few days off, the 28-year-old has been working on his game, even playing in the T20 competition for his employers Indian Oil.

"I have worked on a few things in my game. Probably I'll try and execute them in this game. I can't disclose much about my batting. I like to score big runs but that is one thing that is on the cards. Obviously, I have played enough cricket at Cricket Club of India and in Mumbai, so I know how the conditions will be. Obviously, I would first think that we want to win the games, so I would want to score runs. If I score some and get set, then I would like to try a few things," Pujara said.

One of the key figures in India's 4-0 series triumph, Pujara said reflected on India's thorough dominant performance.

"Last year was very good for the Indian team. We played very good cricket, especially in Tests, where we haven't lost a match. Most of the matches, we dominated and we played as a team. All the players performed, that was the reason for our success. Our lower order contributed, our pacers and spinners both did well and all the batters, at some stage they did well. That was the reason for our success. Talking about this year, the way we started the year, chasing 350 (in Pune ODI) was a big achievement. The way Kedar Jadhav and Virat played was fantastic," Pujara said.

The lower-order contribution has also given a big impetus to the Test team. Pujara said: "It makes a huge difference to the team. Especially, the opposition always gets frustrated. Obviously, Ashwin has been batting well, but when someone like Jayant (Yadav) scores a hundred, they get tired. And, when they have a chance of getting us out for a lesser total, we end up getting a lead of 150-200. That puts them under pressure."

Pujara, who has a penchant to score big centuries including triple centuries at the domestic level, praised his new Test team-mate Karun Nair's 303* in the Chennai Test last month. "To score a triple ton at international level is a very big achievement. It was remarkable. No matter what kind of pitch you are playing on, to score a triple hundred in international cricket is never easy. Not many players have done it. It was a very good innings. There was a session where he had to accelerate because we wanted to declare. He played his shots, that was his game," Pujara said.

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