Calm And Composed Cheteshwar Pujara Learning The 'Art Of Sledging'

Cheteshwar Pujara, known for his calm and composed demeanour at the crease, is trying to learn the 'art of sledging'. The longer version of the game requires fielders to engage in mind games and the 29-year-old feels sometimes it is necessary to give if back to the opposition when needed. In a candid video interview with his team-mate Ajinkya Rahane on bcci.tv, Pujara explained how he was gradually learning the tricks.

"I have started to sledge now. I'm still learning the art of sledging. Sledging is something which is always on the field, if you feel that you need to sledge someone then you need to do it," Pujara said.

#TeamIndia batsmen @ajinkyarahane88 & @cheteshwar1 in conversation after the 2nd Test win - by @28anand https://t.co/XCAkPMjj2W... #SLvIND

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 8, 2017

"Because at times bowlers need some help and if we can help as fielders and if we can talk to the batsmen and do a little bit of sledging then why not, sometimes you do need to sledge," Pujara told Rahane.

Pujara's hunger and mental strength has helped him evolve as a cricketer and his never-ending love for red-ball cricket is quite visible on the field.

On a day when Pujara played his landmark 50th Test match and was also recommended for the prestigious Arjuna Award, the Saurashtra right-hander notched up his 13th Test century.

He faced 232 balls in his 133-run knock, hitting 11 fours and a six. In the process, Pujara also completed 4000 Test runs.

He also became the seventh Indian batsman to score a century in his 50th Test match.

The illustrious six before him are Polly Umrigar (1961) Gundappa Viswanath (1979), Kapil Dev (1983), VVS Laxman (2004) and Virat Kohli (2016).

Pujara also became the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to score hundreds in three consecutive Tests in Sri Lanka.