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Cheteshwar Pujara |
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| Cheteshwar Pujara is
the latest player to make the cut in the India Test team.
Maybe, just reward for the consistency of a batsman often compared to Rahul Dravid. The Saurashtra lad had a hugely successful stint in domestic cricket in the last few years, having aggregated 3925 runs in 49 matches, at an average of 60.38. The 22-year-old captained India A on the recent tour of England and Scotland, during which he scored 776 runs in 10 matches And a Test call was long overdue. Whether he replicates his form (at domestic level) to the international level remains to be seen. His biggest challenge is proving his mettle in the longer version of the game and cementing his place in the squad. We at rediff.com take the opportunity to have a look at the players who have received a Test call-up in the last few years and how they fared in Indian colours. Born - January 25, 1988, Rajkot, Gujarat age- 23 years Major teams India, India A, India Green, India Under-19s, Kolkata Knight Riders, Saurashtra, Saurashtra Under-16s, Saurashtra Under-19s Playing role Batsman Batting style Right-hand bat Bowling style Legbreak Relation Father - AS Pujara, Uncle - BS Pujara Son and pupil of former Ranji player Arvind Pujara, Cheteshwar finished the 2006 Under-19 World Cup as its highest scorer with 349 runs at 116. He'd already displayed his hunger for big scores with a triple-century against Baroda at Under-14 level, a double against England Under-19, and 145 for Saurashtra in his second first-class match. In the World Cup, his 97 against West Indies and unbeaten 129 against England - an almost faultless one-day innings - took him to the top of the run-charts, past his big-scoring team-mates Gaurav Dhiman and Rohit Sharma. Pujara's gameplan is simple and he plays within his limitations. His technique is classical; upright at the crease and confident through both sides of the field. One of the top run-getters in the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy season, Pujara signed on with the Kolkata Knight Riders, of the lucrative Indian Premier League, in March 2008. In October that year he was picked for the Challenger Trophy and later scored two triple-hundreds for Saurashtra in an Under-22 tournament. He followed that up with another triple-century against Orissa in the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy. His form continued through the next season and he began 2010-11 with a call-up to the Test squad for the home series against Australia. Rajkot-born Pujara, who has been very consistent since his debut in Ranji Trophy five years ago, has often been compared with Rahul Dravid for his ability to stay at the wicket for a long time and make big hundreds. "After performing in every season, I was confident that one day I would get chance to play for the country," said the youngster, who scored three triple centuries, including a career-best 302 against Orissa in the Ranji Trophy, in a span of one month last season. He has so far played 45
Ranji ties for Saurshtra and amassed 3416 runs, including 12 hundreds,
with healthy average of 56.00. Overall his first class average is just
over 60 from 49 matches.
"This is a very good chance given to Chintu (Cheteshwar) by the national selection committee and now he has to prove himself at international level against a formidable side like Australia," Arvind Pujara told reporters. "There has always been a very stiff competition for the middle order slot as the country has lots of young and talented batsmen, but we all are happy that Chintu has been selected," he said. |
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