Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara was in fine form for Sussex in the One Day Cup. The 34-year-old amassed 624 runs from nine matches with an average of almost 90 for Sussex. His runs came at a strike rate of 112. Pujara also hit three centuries and two fifties and thus came out of the tag of a Test specialist.
Cheteshwar Pujara smashed 22 runs in an over – 4,2,4,2,6,4.
pic.twitter.com/HhgGlw7c0z— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 12, 2022
Pujara, a regular part of the Test squad, has only played five ODIs in his career so far. His IPL records are not great either, as most teams did not pick him up in the playing eleven. A solid batter, Chennai Super Kings picked Pujara up in the 2021 season. However, he did not get a single game to play in the cash-rich league. During a recent interaction, the number three batter revealed how CSK stint prompted him to develop a new dimension to his batting.
This is how Cheteshwar Pujara increased his strike rate
Talking about the IPL experience, Pujara said he realised he needs to be fearless to play in the shorter format. “I always used to put a big prize on my wicket, but in shorter formats, you still want to play your shots in your game,” he told “The Cricket Podcast”. Pujara said he learned a lot sitting on the CSK bench. He also added that the CSK snub in a way helped him to develop his game.
Quite unfortunate we didn't see this one through, but mighty proud of the team's performance throughout the Royal London Cup campaign! Had a memorable run with @SussexCCC 💙💪 pic.twitter.com/fxf4ctXVvI
— Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar1) August 30, 2022
Later on, Pujara went to the coach and former Zimbabwe batter Grant Flower. He spoke to him about some shots he wanted to work on. The experienced coach helped Pujara to prepare for the tournament. Later on, he told Pujara that he executed the shots well. It gave him confidence in his short format game.
Pujara also added that the pitches were flat, and it helped him in scoring. A fearless approach to batting resulted in the development of more lofted shots. Such a positive mindset helped him to score freely. This new strategy saved Pujara and his limited-overs career.
