Cheteshwar Pujara broke into the top 20 of the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen for the first time in his career, following the conclusion of the Colombo Test, which India won by 117 runs to clinch the series 2-1. The 27-year-old batsman carried his bat in the first innings and returned unbeaten on 145 not out, his seventh career century, which was the cornerstone of India's first innings score of 312.
Cheteshwar Pujara has time and again proved his mettle by bailing out India to safety from precarious situations. Pujara is a great talent and his career so far is the testimony to that. He can very well cement his place as a number three batsman in the side and it is his hunger to score runs that has made him successful in his short career.
Pujara in innings in the last Test against Sri Lanka just shows his temperament to play the longer version of the game. The way he was batting, it looked like he could have gone onto play for many more hours. It is this quality of his that makes him a suitable for the number three position left vacant by Rahul Dravid’s retirement.
Pujara prizes his wicket and does not throw it impulsively. He reacts according to the situation and oozes confidence. It now has been proved that he can score at will against any bowling attack in sub-continent conditions, but his real Test lies in overseas conditions. He is a fantastic player on Indian soil and will now have to prove his ability in testing conditions abroad.
Pujara has always been phenomenal in the domestic season and it is good to see that he has carried that form into international arena. He has it in him to go a long distance, but he should avoid complacency and focus on his good work.
By Indian Sports News Network
