Cheteshwar Pujara: Had I been picked in the IPL, I wouldn't have got game time

Pujara went unsold in the IPL mega auction and then ended up scoring 720 runs in 8 innings in County for Sussex.

By CX Writer May 23, 2022, 15:48 IST

Cheteshwar Pujara?width=963&height=541&resizemode=4

Pujara made a comeback to India's Test side on the back of an amazing show with the bat in County Championship.

IPL 2022 mega auction wasn’t the first time when Cheteshwar Pujara went unsold. But he made the most of this time and away from the glory of IPL, signed for Sussex to play in the County Championship. It worked for him in a brilliant manner as the man raked up runs at will and forced his way back into India’s Test squad for the upcoming Test match against England.

BCCI announced India’s squad for the fifth Test that wasn’t played on the previous tour due to the COVID-19 breakout in the Indian camp. Pujara, along with Ajinkya Rahane, was dropped from the side following consistent poor returns and India tried a new number three in Hanuma Vihari for the home series against Sri Lanka.

However, Pujara had an amazing time in the County Championship featuring for Sussex. He amassed 720 runs in just 8 innings at an average of 120 with four centuries and his highest score being 203. This led to the selectors calling him back for the Test match in England.

Speaking about his comeback, Pujara honestly admitted that he would’ve been benched for the whole season had he got picked by any IPL team. He wouldn’t have got necessary game time in the middle in that case. He also stated that he accepted the offer from the County side only to find his rhythm back.

“You can say that now in hindsight. Had I been picked by an IPL team, there were major chances that I wouldn’t have got any games. I would have just gone (to nets) and practised. Getting match practice and practice in the nets is always different. So when the county thing happened, I just said yes. The major reason I said yes to the county (stint) is that I wanted my old rhythm back,” he said while speaking to Indian Express.

Now that he has made a comeback, it remains to be seen if Cheteshwar Pujara gets back his number three position in India’s playing XI. Vihari had done a decent job in the two Test matches he batted at that position against Sri Lanka. The fifth and final Test between India and England is set to be played from July 1 to July 5 in Birmingham.