It’s interesting that the rise of Cheteshwar Pujara coincided with the fall of Rahul Dravid. Back in the 2010s, Team India was bracing for some big-ticket exits. Sachin Tendulkar was there to stay, but names like Dravid and VVS Laxman were facing the heat not because of their inconsistent run, but the pressure created by the next generation of Test match batters—Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and of course Pujara.
It’s at this backdrop, the 22-year-old made his debut against Australia in Bangalore and played a quick-fire knock of 72 runs off just 89 balls. Alongside the Master, he helped India chase down a tricky 207-run target and help India wrap up the series 2-0. But this wasn’t the Pujara which would be on display in the coming decade. In-fact, this knock was aberration. It was his ability to hunker down and blunt the opposition with the waiting game that got him the fame initially.
So, when he went onto smash his first century in 2012 against New Zealand in Hyderabad, fans and media weren’t surprised. Moreover, he also lived upto the Dravid stereotype when he wore down a visiting England team with a double hundred (206) in Ahmedabad.
Dravid was nowhere to be seen, but who cared as long as India had Pujara in the midst.
As the years passed, he grew even more intense. Touring South Africa for the first time in 2013-14, the easy going Gujarati fought fire with fire. He scored 153 in a thrilling Test match at Johannesburg after Kohli’s century grabbed all the limelight. However, his form would drop the following year.
Windy New Zealand proved too volatile for this serious cricketer. Scores of 23, 19, 17, 38 didn’t help his confidence. In such circumstances, he boarded the plane to England. As expected, disaster followed. And he soon became the scapegoat for the disastrous Test series where India were in the lead after two games. He had managed just one half century—55 in Nottingham.
This period would be his first lull period in international cricket and perhaps the toughest. His bat was coming in with an angle and he was edging the seaming deliveries straight to the cordon. It was that easy and that frequent. Nonetheless, the darkest hour helped him evolve for a second coming. Pujara 2.0 was ready to roll!
A year later, in Sri Lanka, he brought out the renovated self, playing legendary Rangana Herath off the back-foot with superb efficiency. Moreover, he even opened in the third Test match and carried his bat scoring 145 valuable runs. India won the match and the series giving rise to the brand of King Kohli—new India Test skipper at the time.
From 2018 onwards, Pujara had established himself as the senior cricketers in the side. His centuries in Australia (Adelaide, Melbourne), England (Nottingham) made him the undisputed number three. He returned to Australia in 2020 and played the innings of a lifetime in Sydney, a knock people will never forget. On the final day, Pujara alongside Hanuma Vihari, took blows after blows. It was solely this performance which literally forced Chennai Superkings’ CEO Kasi Viswanath to buy him for INR 50 Lakhs. The whole auction table applauded for Pujara the moment he was sold (a first!)
But then cricket is a cruel game. The following year, India lost the three match Test series in South Africa and Pujara, Rahane found themselves in the very position Laxman and Dravid were in! Déjà vu.
Both were promptly dropped. But here the man from Saurashtra pipped Rahane. While the Mumbaikar played the IPL, Pujara flew to England and played county cricket. He ended up scoring 614 runs! He was back in Team India pretty soon, Rahane is still waiting.
As of now, Pujara is the undisputed middle-order legend, standing on the cusp of his hundredth Test match. Despite getting dwarfed by the likes of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant’s popularity, Pujara has created his cult following among old and middle-aged men. Meanwhile the youngsters are fond of his pain resistance and shear ability to grind down opposition with ever-lasting patience.
When he walks out to bat against Australia at Arun Jaitley Stadium, it would be Pujara 3.0 that would be on display.
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