"He Realises That IPL Is Not His Cup Of Tea": Dinesh Karthik On India Star

India batter Cheteshwar Pujara looked on song as he slammed a 130-ball 102 in the second innings of the first Test against Bangladesh on Friday. Seeing what was Pujara's 'fastest Test hundred ever', fans and experts got talking about the batter's ability to play aggressively too, especially in reference to the fact that the IPL 2023 auction is only a few days away. However, veteran India wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik doesn't feel Pujara is keen on playing in the T20 league.

As a matter of fact, Pujara hasn't even registered himself for this year's auction, having last gotten the opportunity to play in the cash-rich league back in 2014. Karthik, in fact, feels Pujara has carved a niche for himself and also said that the veteran batter understands that IPL isn't his cup of tea.

"To be fair, I don't think he has any keenness on playing in the IPL. He has tried over a period of time, and he realises that it's not his cup of tea. He is spending a lot of time during the summer in England, honing his skills and playing his cricket. At this stage of his life, it's not about trying to prove a point. It's about where do you enjoy playing, and where do people enjoy the fact that I bat this way. He is very well aware of those answers, and that's not the IPL for him," said Karthik on Cricbuzz.

"That is going out in the summer and playing for England. He enjoys doing that. He takes his family along, and credit to him, as he has found a niche for himself there. That's what you need to progress as a cricketer. When you realise there's a battle you can't win, you need to move on to other battle. And he has gone on to that path," Karthik added.

Pujara was a part of the Chennai Super Kings team in the IPL 2021 season but he didn't get to play in a single match for the franchise.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team Dinesh Karthik Cheteshwar Pujara