Cheteshwar Pujara has batted in various conditions with decent success and has been unfazed by the tough conditions in Australia or England. His technique has always stood out and he has helped in bailing the team out of uncomfortable positions. However, Pujara is yet to convert those starts into big scores, especially away from home, despite having six hundreds under his belt.
In his previous tour of Australia, England and New Zealand, Pujara has proved one and all his batting ability, but regularly fell in his 30s and 40s, which is not a good sign. Pujara is also aware of the problem, and even discussed the issue with Rahul Dravid and his father, who is his coach as well.
"During the Australia tour, I was batting well but I wasn't converting the starts. I was getting 30s, 40s and then I was getting out. So then I thought about it. I had a word with my father who is coaching me and I even had a word with Rahul," cricbuzz quoted Pujara as saying.
What one fails to understand is Pujara's inability to convert such starts into bigger scores as he has excelled in the domestic circuit -- he recently had a stint in country cricket as well -- which also helped him come to the reckoning for the Indian team.
"I found out what was wrong and worked upon it to get adjusted and played in those challenging conditions in Yorkshire," Pujara added.
So, after his stint with Yorkshire, Pujara seems to be in the right frame of mind ahead of the one-off Test match against Bangladesh. The conditions may be different from that in England, as pitches in the sub-continent produce turn and low bounce.
To prepare for the one Test match against Bangladesh, Pujara practiced in Indian conditions as well.
"When I came back I had enough time to practice back home on Indian pitches," he revealed.
With Virat Kohli the captain of the India Test team, it will be interesting to see Pujara's batting position. Ideally, Pujara is best suited for the number three position, but it is a position, which Kohli also might fancy.
Pujara, though, does not mind batting in any position, and is willing to play as per the team's requirement.
"As a batsman, I always believed that you have to be flexible whatever is the team's requirement," Pujara said. "I batted at number three for many years, but I am really flexible. I am comfortable at any number."
