Cheteshwar Pujara has been a major force at the heart of Sussex’s ongoing revolution in the latest season as he cracked back-to-back centuries in the royal London ODI Cup, extending his exemplary form from the affairs in whites to the colourful outings.
This time, however, his blistering knock played an instrumental role in propelling Sussex to a remarkable win over Surrey as the former ran riot, securing a victory by a margin of 216 runs at Hove. Pujara scripted a remarkable 174 from just 131 deliveries while Tom Clark’s steady 104 played another crucial knock in uplifting Sussex.
Pujara has had a season to savour for the Men in Pink as they continue their rebellion in the county canon. It is also great news for the Indian fans to see one of their most reliable batters bringing out the heavy artillery on hostile and alien grounds.
However, a major question is what has been the primary ingredient of Pujara’s humdinger return? Is it just a sheer stroke of luck or has the man made any crucial changes to his batting stance to get the wheels rolling?
First and foremost, had it been luck, it would have at the most existed for two to three games tops. It isn’t fortune but sheer diligence and tenacity from India’s number three in Test cricket that has brought him back to the game in all his majesty.
A major change of stance from Pujara has helped him significantly that has seen him shaking off his vulnerability in the corridor of uncertainty on the off-stump. In the test matches, he has let the cherry fly to safety while in ODIs, he has been moving around pretty significantly to keep the ball within his striking arc.
Now add to these couple of attributes, the existing calibre of Pujara, which includes the likes of some ice-cold mentality pressure and nerves of steel. He is picking up his spots exactly in the way it should be done while his shot selection has been equally fascinating.
Another notable change in Pujara’s batting heroics is the way he has resorted to a string of cheeky strokes on occasions that is making it unsettling for the bowlers to react to the sudden outburst of Cheteshwar Pujara. He has razor-sharp reflexes and that allows him to move significantly in the popping crease adjusting himself to the various line and lengths of the bowlers, nullifying the advantages that the bowlers have managed to secure by inches.
At the end of it all, he has held his nerve pretty strongly and had a comeback written all over himself when he opted to play in County cricket, a million lightyears away from the glitz ad glam of Indian cricket, where cricketers get criticized for the minutest of errors.
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