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'If given an opportunity, I am confident': Cheteshwar Pujara wants to be a part of IPL
"Definitely want to be part of the IPL. Given an opportunity, I am confident I'll be able to do well," Pujara told NDTV.
Cheteshwar Pujara has been the talk of the town after his exploits in Australia. The 32-year-old batsman has been a regular in the Indian Test team and is one of the first names on the teamsheet in the longest format. In the midst of attacking batsmen, Pujara provides the stability in the batting department. He was the fourth-highest run-getter during the four-match Test series against Australia with 271 runs.
His innings of 56 off 211 balls at Gabba on the final day of the Brisbane Test was lauded by the cricket pundits for the grit and patience shown by him. Pujara was hit 11 times on the body but he continued to play on as India won the match to clinch series 2-1. But Pujara is not happy being a Test specialist. He still harbours hopes of landing an Indian Premier League contract.
Pujara said that he is confident of performing in the IPL.
"Definitely want to be part of the IPL. Given an opportunity, I am confident I'll be able to do well," he told NDTV.
Pujara hasn’t played in the IPL since 2014. He played for 3 franchises between 2008 and 2014. But he hasn’t been able to attract bids in T20 cricket.
Pujara played for Kolkata Knight Riders till 2010 before moving on to Royal Challengers Bangalore. He played for the club from 2011 to 2013. He joined Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2014 but was released after a single season. He has gone unsold ever since.
Pujara in a recent interview with Hindustan Times said that having attacking players like Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill allow him to play his natural game.
“Both of them are attacking players. That does help me in some way. If another partner is trying to take the bowler on, it allows me to play my natural game. I have batted with Viru pajji (Sehwag) also, where he would have already put the opposition under pressure with his batting. That’s a great way to build a partnership,” said Pujara.
