Cheteshwar Pujara: Playing County Cricket did help me improve my gameplay

India's charismatic Test opener Cheteshwar Pujara was off to a flier after he scored an emphatic 153 against hosts Sri Lanka.

India‘s charismatic Test opener Cheteshwar Pujara was off to a flier, after he scored an emphatic 153 against hosts Sri Lanka, in the opening innings of the first of the three-Test series at the Galle International Stadium. On being asked about the reason of his excellent run in Test cricket, he has credited his recent stint in County Cricket, which indeed allowed him to improve his gameplay and become a better batsman. He asserted on the importance of playing county as it helps a player to grow as a cricketer. He also said that he prefers to play County Championship in between Test cricket, especially when if he is not a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL). FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Sri Lanka 2017 – 1st Test at Galle

“Playing County cricket is always challenging. So you never get easy runs. Most of the times, you are playing on challenging wickets. So as a cricketer, it teaches you a lot. You grow as a cricketer, your technique improves and when you come and play international cricket again, you have some experience of playing first-class cricket and you are always in touch with the game. So playing some County games did help me,” said Pujara, as reported by PTI. “I played about four County matches which always helps. When I have some time in between Test matches and if I am not part of the IPL, I prefer to go and play some County matches. It gives me exposure, playing in different conditions, facing different bowlers,” he added.

“As a batsman, you always want to perform well on challenging pitches. Especially when I got my 145, it was at SSC, that particular wicket was more challenging than this one. When you score a hundred on such wickets, it is more satisfying than this one. But when you are doing a job for the team, I always enjoy scoring hundreds,” he continued. FULL CRICKET UPDATES: India vs Sri Lanka 2017 – 1st Test at Galle, Day 2

Speaking on Hardik Pandya’s batting so far, he said, “He’s a very good all-rounder. When it comes to his batting, he is trusting his strengths. The way he was batting, I think that is the way he should be batting going ahead. It was the right situation for him. I think he could dominate the bowlers, play his shots and specially when he is playing with the tail-enders, that’s the way he should be playing. And he has showcased that even at the highest level. Being an allrounder it always helps for the team because we need someone who can bowl ten overs in a day if there is an opportunity. So someone like him who can bat well and give us 8-10 overs in a day, he is the perfect all-rounder for us.”

Pujara also spoke on the areas to focus against Sri Lanka in this tour. “I think the key for us, even in the last season, was that we have bowled really well. Our bowlers are bowling good lines and lengths. On this wicket, you know what areas to bowl on, even the batsmen they had some inputs on what kind of line and length we can bowl. There is some assistance as well for the spinners. Ashwin and Jadeja both have been bowling really well even in the last season and they’ve continued that. I think our bowlers, they’ve bowled better lines and lengths [thank Sri Lankan bowlers] and I think tomorrow onwards, we’ll see a little more turn on this wicket. The pitch is drying up, so there will be more assistance tomorrow onwards,” said Pujara. Nuwan Pradeep: Very happy to get Virat Kohli out for cheap

Finally, speaking on his partnership with Shikhar Dhawan, he said, “The way my partnership was with Shikhar Dhawan, I think both of us batted really well, especially him. The way he started off yesterday, it was challenging for him, he was making a comeback and the way he batted, and it was a pleasure to watch from the other end. Playing against spin, I think as Indian batsmen, we have enough exposure playing in the domestic circuit. That is the reason all our batsmen have been batting well. When you start off well, it always put the opposition on the back foot. We stuck to our strength, we focussed on the things that we wanted to and we excelled as a team.”

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