Che Pu

'I always challenge myself to score a 100' – Cheteshwar Pujara

Che Pu

In the recent series in New Zealand, Pujara scored 100 runs across four innings as India conceded the Test series 2-0. It was an extension of a relatively lean run for the classically styled batsman, starting from India's tour of West Indies in 2019. In nine Tests since that series, he has failed to score a century.

This patch can be viewed as a statistical blip in the career of a batsman who has 18 Test hundreds and averages 48.66 in the format. Pujara admitted that his recent performances haven't been quite up to his standard, which is defined by him challenging himself to make a hundred every time he bats.

"I always challenge myself to score a 100 but to average close to 50 in Tests means you are scoring a half-century almost every second innings," Pujara said in an interview with PTI. "My standards are always high and I am not satisfied with the season that I had but I would not call it a bad one at all," he said.

Cheteshwar Pujara has 18 Test hundreds and has been India's second-highest run-scorer over the last 24 months

Despite the recent dearth of hundreds, Pujara has been India's second-highest Test run-scorer over the last couple of years, behind only Virat Kohli. It isn't his ability to make big runs that have come under scrutiny, rather it's his scoring-rate that comes under the scanner every now and again. His strike-rate of 42.41 over the last 24 months is the lowest among those who have scored at least 1,000 runs.

Pujara, however, feels the fuss about his scoring rate is unwarranted. He insisted that there is no pressure on him to change his style of play from the Indian team management.

"I just want to clarify that when it comes to strike-rate, there is no pressure on me at all. The team management understands my style of play and its importance," he said. "If you look at any Test series where I have scored runs and taken a little bit of time, the opposition batsmen, most of them, have consumed the same number of balls," he added. "I know I can't be a David Warner or Virender Sehwag but if a normal batsman takes time there is nothing wrong with that."