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Back in India after getting suspended for one match in the County Championship, Cheteshwar Pujara started preparations for the upcoming Irani Trophy. Pujara posted a video of himself training in open nets for the clash against the Rest of India. Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan posted a hilarious comment as he urged Pujara to give chances to youngsters now.
“Bhai bas kar youngster ko bhi khelne de ab. Irani se Tere liye Naani Trophy ho gayi hai,” Dhawan wrote in a comment.
On September 27, Pujara came to watch India play Australia at his home ground Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. Pujara had conversations with Rohit Sharma-led India and head coach Rahul Dravid before the third and final ODI of the series. India lost the dead rubber by 66 runs as they missed the services of key players.
The Irani Cup between Saurashtra and the Rest of India will be played at the same venue as well starting October 1 (Sunday).
Earlier this month, Pujara was handed a one-match sensation as Sussex received an automatic 12-point deduction for passing the threshold of receiving four fixed penalties in the ongoing County Championship season.
Pujara was suspended for one match as Regulation 4.30 suggests that it will be considered a separate offense for the captain who led the side in all the matches.
The 35-year-old has been out of India’s Test side after ordinary performances in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia. Yashasvi Jaiswal was picked as his replacement for the two-Test series against West Indies. However, Jaiswal made a mark with a century on debut as an opener whereas Shubman Gill batted at Pujara’s no.3 position.
The Saurashtra batter did not have good outings in the last few innings. After a half-century, he registered scores of 4, 26, and 23 on England soil for Sussex. Despite mediocre performances, Sussex won under Pujara’s captaincy as his Saurashtra teammate Jaydev Unadkat picked nine wickets in the game including a six-fer.
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