Chetashwar Pujara feels great when the comparison of his batting techniques is drawn with Rahul Dravid’s batting. He has been a great fan of The Wall and believes that this compliment is a morale-booster for someone like him. He has an average of 65 after 13 Tests having scored four centuries, including two double hundreds, and three half-centuries. He has been the consistent run-getter for Indian team and has been knocking the doors of ODI squad for quite a sometime.
Pujara was quoted by The Times of India saying, "It's a big compliment for me (comparison with Dravid) because someone who has been successful in Indian cricket and someone who has been called 'The Wall' of the Indian cricket, if you are compared with that person, it's a morale-booster for me and increases my confidence."
"He is one of my childhood idols. I try and learn as many things as possible from him. Unfortunately, he has retired now but whenever I had the opportunity to play alongside Dravid, I always enjoyed his company. The way he used to guide me, the way he used to give me tips, it was always motivating for me," he said.
He is quite happy that fans are drawing such conclusions about his batting but his focus is also on ODI’s. He wants to represent India at the highest level and being in such a great form gives him tonnes of confidence.
He was quoted by The Hindu saying, "You have something in you, that's why people are comparing me with him. It's a great feeling for me; I mean you have the technique which is similar to Dravid. He is a player who has scored more than 10,000 runs in both the formats."
"I'll get my chances soon. I am working on being a good ODI and T20 player. I started off well in the Test cricket and if I continue the way I am playing Tests, I'll get my chances in the ODI format too. I just need to wait for my opportunity and I know the time will soon come," said Saurashtra batsman.
Pujara draws his inspiration from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni who makes the dressing room like heaven for him with their company.
"I got to learn many things from Sachin paaji. Whenever I make a mistake, he always comes to me and tells me that this is the mistake you are making and this is the way you should play. He always come to me and gives me suggestions. It's always inspiring and I am honoured that I can share the dressing room with him," he said.
"Playing under the captaincy of Dhoni is a great feeling for all the youngsters. India has produced many great captains and he is one of those captains. All the team members enjoy his company," he added.
The biggest test of his career is going to be the tour of South Africa which will start from the first week of December where India will play three Tests and seven ODI series.
He said, "I have played in South Africa in 2010, so I have the exposure of playing there. I know what to expect from the Proteas team and wickets. I have some plans for it and will prepare according to it. The team will also have some plans to counter the conditions there. When Gary Kirsten was our coach, we had a decent South Africa tour where we tied the Test series. I hope we will be able to win the series this time."
Adding to his delight is the decision of ICC introducing the Test Championship to promote the game in much better way. He was quoted by Hindustan times saying, "I am happy with the development because Test format is the ultimate format of the game. That's the format from where cricket started. It's a good initiative by the ICC and all the cricketers will be happy to play the Test championship. I hope India will be able to win the inaugural edition.”