India's veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara will make his 100th Test appearance at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, Delhi on February 17. Ahead of the second Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Pujara is is no mood to pay heed to talks about his retirement. Pujara wants to continued playing and does not want to think too far ahead as his current goal is to play World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final.
"I don't want to set a target for myself. I want to be in the present. I want to take it one Test match at a time rather than thinking about how long I can play," Pujara told ESPNCricinfo on Tuesday.
"It's important to enjoy the game, it's important to be on top of your game, and whenever you are not able to contribute, or you are not performing to the best of your abilities, you can consider the next step. I have just turned 35. There's still some time," he added.
Pujara will be 13th Indian to play 100 or more Tests. The list is led by legendary Sachin Tendulkar who has played 200 Tests.
The 35-year-old will be felicitated in front of his family but he is not focused on pomp and show as India need to continue their winning run to ensure WTC final berth.
"Yes, the second Test will be my 100th, but there will be two more Tests after that which will be very important for us to win to qualify for the WTC final," said Pujara.
Pujara explained why he loves Test cricket and why it requires exemplary discipline from the player.
"You are tested in your character, in your temperament, in your patience, as a person. It's also about how you behave off the field, and that also has an impact on what you do on the field because if you are not disciplined enough in Test cricket, you will see the results eventually on the field. That's why Test cricket is special."
In the age of T20 cricket, Pujara still likes to do things in his own way. He says that he leads a simple life with minimum distractions.
"Yes, T20 cricket is more popular now but if you speak to any Test cricketer, regardless of how many matches they have played, they will tell you it takes a lot to become a successful Test player. I live a very simple life and that's the reason I don't get distracted by too many things."
Pujara also had some advice for India’s white-ball cricketers. He wants them to play red-ball cricket at domestic level.
"If you are just playing white-ball cricket and if you aim to play Test cricket, then you should definitely play Ranji Trophy, without any doubt. Otherwise you will eventually get exposed at the international level in red-ball cricket.
"If you look at examples of whoever has done well in Test cricket, they would have played some red-ball cricket - whether it is Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy or India A, Rest of India. It is slightly different for the bowlers, but for a batsman, it is important to play red-ball cricket," he said.
