Cheteshwar Pujara may not have finished as India’s highest Test run-scorer, but his significance in the team went beyond mere numbers. He played a pivotal role in stabilising India’s batting, often providing the foundation for others to flourish. Reflecting on his 103-Test career, the 37-year-old looks back at the highs and lows of his journey. He spoke about his father’s role.
“My father played a major role in my development as a cricketer. From a young age, he instilled discipline in me, while others were out enjoying their youth. My mother, who passed away when I was just 17, also taught me life’s valuable lessons. She always encouraged me to remain a good person,” he told Hindustan Times.
He reflected on his career. “Even though I was scoring consistently, the fact that I represented Saurashtra led some to question the quality of the pitches I played on. They claimed I was only successful on flat tracks, which was far from the truth. I had to fight against such perceptions,” he added.
Pujara opened up on his performances against the spinners. “When you play a lot of domestic cricket, you’re often on turning tracks, especially in tournaments like the KSCA, and Buchi Babu helped me develop my footwork, which I’ve always considered a strong part of my game.”
The right-handed batter opined on his low scores from 2019 onwards. “Since 2019, we began encountering increasingly difficult pitches. Some of them were almost unplayable, and you needed a good dose of luck to score a fifty. With the World Test Championship in place, many teams began preparing pitches that caused games to finish in three days or less. Today, teams realise that results can still be achieved on good pitches,” he concluded.