"I Scored Majority Of Runs, Yet Team Would Lose": Cheteshwar Pujara Recalls Early Experiences

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The only player who could take up the nickname of Mr. Dependable in Test cricket for India, after Rahul Dravid's retirement, Cheteshwar Pujara emerged as an icon for the country. In red-ball cricket, Pujara won India many matches with his tenacity, grit, and sheer attitude to not throw in the towel. His exit from Indian cricket does leave a huge void, which arguably no batter at present has the ability to fill. Recalling his early days as a cricketer, Pujara revealed how his teams used to lose matches even after he would score a century.

Pujara represented India in 103 Tests, but his journey in red-ball cricket was truly shaped while playing for Saurashtra.

"I started playing for Saurashtra at an early age, when the team was slightly on the weaker side. I still remember those Under-14 days, whenever I scored a hundred and then got out, the team would often be bowled out for 220-230. Sometimes even 180-190," Pujara told Cricbuzz.

"I would score the majority of the runs in that game, and yet we would end up losing. After that, I realized that scoring just a hundred was not good enough for the team. I had to score big hundreds. So I started aiming for 150s, double hundreds, even triple hundreds in junior cricket, whether it was Under-14, Under-16, or Under-19. That's how I developed the habit of patience, discipline, and determination to score big runs," Pujara added.

The veteran cricketer revealed that even scoring a hundred wasn't enough for him while playing for Saurashtra during the early days, highlighting how weak the rest of the squad used to be.

"That habit carried on into the Ranji Trophy as well. At that time, Saurashtra was in the Plate Division. After I made my debut, we got promoted to the Elite Division, and slowly things started to fall into place. But I realized that if I were playing for a slightly weaker team, just scoring a hundred wasn't enough.

"You had to score big runs to give the team a chance to win. That's how the habit started, and it carried on. Eventually, Saurashtra became a stronger unit. But once you create a good habit, it stays with you for a long time," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cheteshwar Pujara Saurashtra India Cricket Team Cricket