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Seasoned Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara may not have been considered in India's squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa, yet his dedication to the sport remains unwavering. Despite being a key player in the team for over a year, he was recently dropped. It's common for players with extensive international experience to shy away from the rigors of domestic cricket. Contrarily, Pujara stands out in this regard. His most recent Test match for India was in the World Test Championship final against Australia in June of this year.
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In that match, Pujara struggled, scoring only 14 and 27 in the two innings, leading to his exclusion from the team afterwards. In his absence, Shubman Gill has taken over the number three spot in India's batting line-up. Meanwhile, Pujara has been diligently preparing for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, far from the international cricket scene.
Pujara, who first appeared in the Ranji Trophy in 2005, is now gearing up for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season which is scheduled to commence from January 5, 2024. On Saturday (December 30), Pujara shared a video on X (previously known as Twitter), showcasing his net practice sessions.
WATCH THE VIDE HERE…
India dearly missed a batter like Pujara as they suffered a hefty defeat to South Africa in the first Test in Centurion, After posting a fighting total of 245 in the first innings, the Indian batters faltered in the second innings, managing only 131 runs in 34.1 overs. In contrast, South Africa posted a commanding 408 in their first innings. With this, South Africa secured an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series, dashing India's hopes of winning a Test series in the Rainbow Nation for the first time in 31 years.
Pujara boasts a record of participating in 103 Tests for India, a figure surpassed among current players only by Ishant Sharma (105) and Virat Kohli (112). The prominent player from Saurashtra has amassed 7195 runs in Test cricket, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties.
Meanwhile, the much anticipated Ranji Trophy 2023-24 season is set to commence on January 5. Cheteshwar Pujara, along with his Saurashtra team, will kick off their season against Jharkhand in Rajkot. The competition is structured into two divisions: Elite and Plate. The Elite division comprises four groups, each with eight teams, whereas the Plate division consists of a single group with six teams.
Elite Group A consists of Saurashtra, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Haryana, Services, and Manipur.
In Elite Group B, the teams are Bengal, Andhra, Mumbai, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Bihar.
For Elite Group C, the participating teams include Karnataka, Punjab, Railways, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Gujarat, Tripura, and Chandigarh.
Elite Group D consists of Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Baroda, Delhi, Odisha, Pondicherry, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Plate Group features Nagaland, Hyderabad, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
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