Ranji Trophy final on top of Cheteshwar Pujara’s mind, Australia show a thing of the past

After all the success in Australia where his three centuries shaped the historic series win, Pujara is back to the domestic grind, aiming for Saurashtra’s maiden Ranji Trophy title.

There are few elite cricketers who’d pass by you unassuming, without a show of stardom. Cheteshwar Pujara is one of those rare people who don’t crave for anything beyond the epics they create on the crease.

Cheteshwar Pujara shakes hands with Vidarbha’s Wasim Jaffar during a practise session on the eve of Ranji Trophy final in Nagpur. (PTI)

Almost always in a trance during a game situation, the India No. 3 lets go off anything that can distract him from the immediate task at hand. After all the success in Australia where his three centuries shaped the historic series win, Pujara is back to the domestic grind, helping Saurashtra reach the final and aim for the maiden Ranji Trophy title. Australia is past.

“My focus at the moment is on the Ranji final (which begins on Sunday),” he says. “Focus is the most important thing for any cricketer. This is what I am encouraging them to do. I try to instill energy in the team,” he explains his work in galvanising Saurashtra boys. Along with Ravindra Jadeja, Pujara is Saurashtra’s most accomplished and famous cricketer ever.

Over a decade back when Pujara was racking up runs in Ranji Trophy and forcing everyone to sit up and take notice, Saurashtra were just another average Ranji side that was lucky to get yet another player with talent. Wasim Jaffer says Saurashtra always had good, talented individual players but they could never come together as a team.

Pujara though was a special talent and managed to barge into the India side soon enough by the sheer quantum of the runs he made through that one quality he is trying to instill – focus. He has stayed in India setup for over eight years and is now bringing that learning to his state team, and, along with coach Sitanshu Kotak and captain Jaydev Unadkat, turning them into a formidable unit.

“Everywhere in the country, cricket has improved and cricketers are coming, same has happened with Saurashtra. Which is why the quality has gone up,” Pujara says. “These (Saurashtra) guys have got lots of talent. But it is all about taking the pressure off them and helping them understand and handle the tough situations. Learning to deal with pressure is very important.”

The results have been forthcoming. In the two previous Ranji games, Pujara helped Saurashtra wade through choppy waters with his batting and guidance to other batsmen. They had looked dead and out in the quarter-finals against Uttar Pradesh but managed to survive.

Unadkat, who himself played for India, feels there is a lot an international player can bring to the side. “Someone like Cheteshwar or Ravindra have been doing well with India. So when they come here, the boys look at them and do what they do which ultimately improves their performance.”