Pujara hopeful of making impact in T20 format

Pujara hopeful of making impact in T20 format

Cheteshwar Pujara, the 28-year-old batsman, played with poise and imagination to pilot Rest of India (RoI) to a come-from-behind six-wicket win against Ranji Trophy champions Gujarat in the Irani Cup on Tuesday (January 24).

The No. 3 batsman has also been one of the mainstays of India's batting line-up in Test cricket, having notched up 3,256 runs at an impressive average of 49.33. However, Pujara hasn't yet been able to make an impact in the abridged versions of the game. The unassuming cricketer has played just five One-Day Internationals, scoring 51 runs. He also has played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but without much success.

After leading RoI to a well-deserved victory at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai, Pujara said that he would try to prove his worth in the shortest format of the game. "I definitely want to make a mark in the Twenty20 format. I have done well in T20 matches. I played in the DY Patil T20 tournament [in Navi Mumbai] and got a hundred and two fifties. I am very confident that I can play well in other formats of the game."

Pujara added that he would look to put up consistent performances in the upcoming Inter-Zonal T20 tournament in order to impress IPL's franchises. "I am looking forward to playing in the IPL. I have prepared well, especially when it comes to T20, I have more number of shots [now]. So probably I will play in domestic T20 tournaments. If I play well, surely there will be an opportunity.

"I just will have to keep playing other formats and keep scoring runs and probably I will have to wait for my opportunity. I am improving, playing more shots and playing with a higher strike rate. So probably that's [stamped as a Test specialist] just the tag, a perception that will change with time to come," he remarked.

Pujara also sounded confident about India's chances in the forthcoming four-match Test series against Australia, starting on February 23. "We have five Tests - one against Bangladesh and four more against Australia - which will be crucial for the Indian team. We have been playing good cricket and it will be a challenging task for us."

The Indian team whitewashed Australia 4-0 at home in 2013. However, Pujara observed that most of the Australian cricketers now have the experience of playing in subcontinent conditions and will be prepared for the challenge.

"That [2013] was a different time. They did not have an experienced team. Most of them did play in that last series and they know what to expect from Indian pitches and will be well prepared. At the same time, we have been playing very good cricket and when it comes to Tests, we did really well in 2016. Our fast bowlers and spinners did really well against England and our lower-order contribution, which I keep saying, did help us win the [Test] series against England," he said.