The Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia is about to start on Thursday with the two teams squaring off against each other in the first Test in Nagpur. In the absence of the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ajinkya Rahane from the Indian squad, the burden of being a senior middle-order batter will now fall on the shoulders of Cheteshwar Pujara. The 35-year-old batter, who made his debut in 2010, has been a key player for India on numerous occasions. He is one of the finest Test batters in the world, who played a major role in India's triumph in the 2020-21 edition of the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Despite having a marvelous run in Test cricket, the veteran batter is often snubbed in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by the franchises. Pujara made his last appearance in the cash-rich league back in 2014 for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), after which he went unsold till the 2021 edition, where he was bought by the Chennai Super Kings. However, he did not get a single match to play for Chennai. In a recent interview with the Times of India, Pujara stated that he misses playing in the IPL but his stint in County Cricket has immensely helped him with his form,
"Look, (T20) it's a different format altogether. I always felt that I had the potential to play the shorter format. And I've done well whenever I've played in domestic and county cricket in all the formats. It's just not about me, if you look at the IPL, there've been a lot of great players, who, despite doing well in the T20 format, have been unsold," said Pujara.
"I didn't feel bad as such, but yes, it's always nice to be a part of the IPL. There are times when I miss the IPL, but currently, I've been playing county cricket, which has helped me immensely. Having the experience of those conditions has helped me improve my game," he added.
In his eight matches for Sussex during the County Championship in 2022, he scored 1,094 runs at an average of 109.40. He scored five hundred-plus scores in the championship in 13 innings, with the best score of 231. He was the fourth-highest run-scorer in the championship.
The veteran batter displayed a red-hot form last year. In five Tests and 10 innings in 2022, Pujara scored 409 runs at an average of 45.44. He scored one century and three half-centuries last year.
Apart from this, Pujara is the sixth-highest run-scorer in history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In 20 matches and 37 innings, he has scored 1,893 runs at an average of 54.08 with five centuries and 10 half-centuries and the best score of 204.
The upcoming BGT series is a big one for both teams as they look to nail down a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The series begins in Nagpur on February 9 with Tests in Delhi, Dharamshala and Ahmedabad.
Australia is at the top of WTC standings with a win percentage of 75.56 and have won 10 Tests, lost one and drawn four. India are at the second spot with a win percentage of 58.93 and have won five Tests, lost four and drawn one.
(With PTI Inputs)
