CHETESHWAR PUJARA

[Waterloo]

Lets welcome the next Dravid . The future mainstay of INdian cricket.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[ajaybaskar]

Arambichuttaangayya...
Arambichuttaangayya...

[Waterloo]

[tscii:f39e3482ce]Cheteshwar Pujara Personal information
Full name Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara
Born 25 January 1988 (1988-01-25) (age 22)
Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Nickname Chintu
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Right arm Leg spin
Role Batsman
Relations AS Pujara (father), BS Pujara (uncle)
International information
National side India
Only Test (cap 266) 9 October 2010 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years Team
2008–present Kolkata Knight Riders
2005–present Saurashtra
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class List A Twenty20
Matches 1 49 44 14
Runs scored 4 3,925 1,941 232
Batting average 4 60.38 57.08 33.14
100s/50s –/– 14/13 6/12 0/0
Top score 4 302* 122* 45*
Balls bowled – 153 – –
Wickets – 5 – –
Bowling average – 16.60 – –
5 wickets in innings – 0 – –
10 wickets in match – 0 – –
Best bowling – 2/4 – –
Catches/stumpings &ndash/– 24/– 13/– 4/
[/tscii:f39e3482ce]

[directhit]

:sigh2:

[Waterloo]

A talent for tomorrow

February 5, 2007

The third in our Mission Tomorrow series: Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discerning critics insist that Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara is probably the best thing that has happened to Indian cricket after Rahul Dravid.
A cool, composed and compact batsman in the classical mould, the teen sensation from Saurashtra -- the region famous for producing the likes of K S Ranjitsinhji, K S Duleepsinhji, Amar Singh, L Ramji, Vinoo Mankad, Nyalchand Shah, Salim Durrani, Karsan Ghavri, Dilip Doshi, Dhiraj Parsana and Ajay Jadeja -- has already won plaudits from those whose comments count in Indian cricket.

What is Mission Tomorrow?

A very confident and determined batsman endowed with good footwork and an excellent repertoire of shots, Cheteshwar has scored heavily at every level of the game in course of a career that is still in its infancy. While it may be a bit too early to say for certain, there are people who are already projecting him as another Dravid.
Born in Rajkot on January 25, 1988, the tall and well-built Cheteshwar was reared on a diet of cricket. In fact, cricket flows in his veins: his grandfather Shivlal Pujara represented the strong erstwhile state of Dhrangadhra, while his father Arvind and uncle Bipin played first-class cricket for Saurashtra with distinction.

He honed his natural talent at the Railway ground in Rajkot under the watchful eye of his father, who has been serving the Indian Railway for years now. His mother Reena, who succumbed to cancer on October 6, 2005 while he was away playing a match in Bhavnagar, was always "a fount of inspiration" for him. Her dream was to see the youngster play for India, and increasingly it appears that the realisation of that dream is only a matter of time.

Interestingly, Cheteshwar was a serious practitioner of leg spin bowling at the start of his career; he had the ability to turn the ball viciously with a curious, even peculiar, action. But he was so good with the willow that pretty soon, his father and other experts advised him to concentrate on batting as his most important skill-set.

Today, Cheteshwar only rolls his arm over in the net, and very occasionally in actual matches to provide rest to a main bowler or to try and break a partnership.

An alumnus of Rajkot's famous Virani School, which has produced many good cricketers including Ghavri, the embarrassingly quiet Cheteshwar first came in the limelight when he scored a monumental 306 not out (540m, 516b, 36x4), a national record, in Saurashtra's total of 460 for 5 declared in a West Zone Under-19 match against Baroda 2000-01.

[sathya_1979]

Father A Pujara, Uncle B Pujara, ivar C Pujara :lol:
Kadi apart, :clap:

[Sourav]

athukkulla thread-a,,,, :shock:
we still dont have threads for zaheer, yuvi etc,,, ennamo ponga....

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.cricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2010/content/story/481383.html?CMP=chrome

[Plum]

Father A Pujara, Uncle B Pujara, ivar C Pujara :lol:
Kadi apart, :clap:

Future star(20 years later) Devendra Pujarakku ippOvE Sourav-ai thread Arambikka sollalAmA?

[Riyazz]

Father A Pujara, Uncle B Pujara, ivar C Pujara :lol:
Kadi apart, :clap:

Future star(20 years later) Devendra Pujarakku ippOvE Sourav-ai thread Arambikka sollalAmA? :lol:

[VinodKumar's]

Waterloo,

Enakku title ah paatha tensionloo aaguthuloo :x

Thayavu siethu Dravid ah yeduthutu Pujara va eppdi venumnalum pugalthukonga sir please.

[Puliyan_Biryani]

Waterloo,

Enakku title ah paatha tensionloo aaguthuloo :x

Thayavu siethu Dravid ah yeduthutu Pujara va eppdi venumnalum pugalthukonga sir please.
:exactly:

And 2 varushathukku mela Pujarava support panra Sourav-ku indha vaaippai kuduthurukkalaam IMHO :-(

[Sourav]

And 2 varushathukku mela Pujarava support panra Sourav-ku indha vaaippai kuduthurukkalaam IMHO :-(:ty: :cry: :cry2: :cry3: i would not have started this much soon though!

[Sourav]

vinod, agree with u... pujara many times told dravid as his role model...

[Sourav]

//Sourav or somebody please create a thread for the ODI series. This one is into 103rd page. We shall continue there.// Thanks puli... but, i dont wanna start the new thread... naan start panna raasi illainu solranga... :twisted: ithu vera india-A team maathiri irukku. thotthuttangana en mela pazhi potturuvaange... :twisted:

[VinodKumar's]

vinod, agree with u... pujara many times told dravid as his role model...

:mrgreen: Paiyanuku vazhthukkal aanalum title othuka mudiyaathu :lol2:

[Sourav]

Anyway, intha gap-la onnu sollikuren... i would like to open a thread for Yuvi in coming weeks...i.e. once he back on track.... he is the most underrated/damaged player in our hub! He deserves a thread!

[vanchi]

:lol: konjam thenvatta koracharunna ipdi oru nilamai vanthirukkathu. but, certain shots, :2thumbsup:

[littlemaster1982]

The day Pujara seized his chance (http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/482861.html)

In the last innings of the Bangalore Test, a 22-year-old walked out instead of Rahul Dravid - and made sure he gave those watching plenty to talk about

For one poignant moment Cheteshwar Pujara was a fan again. Looking over the shoulders of his team-mates at the post-match presentation following his audacious innings on the final day of the second Test against Australia in Bangalore, Pujara did not want to miss out on anything Sachin Tendulkar was saying. When Tendulkar finally mentioned his name, Pujara's face lit up.

It was not that he was feeling empty without an acknowledgement from his senior team-mates. His 72 runs in the final innings had shut Australia out of the contest. He had no doubt he belonged among the elite. He just wanted to hear his name, savour the moment, soak in the happiness.

A week later he still is pinching himself in delight. "I am still recovering a little bit," he says. "It is a great feeling, no doubt." But he is not getting carried away. "There are many things to achieve in life. It is a very good start but it is in the past now, and as a cricketer I would like to be in the present."

Only Pujara and his father-mentor-coach-comforter Arvind know how hard it was for him to claim the honour of being India's 266th Test cricketer. Rajkot is no backward town, but in terms of cricketing infrastructure it is the outback. Pujara trained on concrete wickets, with sparse kit, against average bowling, and grew hungry as time ticked by.

At 22, he has not waited all that long to earn a Test berth. It just seems that way, though, since he seems to have been scoring big in domestic cricket forever. In the last four first-class seasons Pujara has averaged at least 50: in 2006-07 he logged 595 runs at 59.50 (two centuries and three fifties); in 2007-08, 807 at 73.36 (three centuries and three fifties); 2008-09, 906 runs at 82.36 (four centuries); and last season he had 554 at 79.14 (one hundred and four fifties).

His desperation possibly had something to do with the fact that contemporaries like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli seemed to be gaining mileage in the media based on brilliance they had shown in the shorter versions. Pujara did not panic and try and transform his game, though. He suppressed his impatience and kept his focus clear. And when in Bangalore he was told he was in, an hour before the toss, he knew he was ready. He walked in as if he belonged.

On the eve of the Test Gary Kirsten told him to be prepared and that he might get a chance. VVS Laxman was to have a fitness test for back spasms on the morning of the match. Pujara went to bed thinking Laxman would probably make it.

During the morning warm-up, Laxman walked up to Pujara to tell him he wasn't feeling okay and that he might not play. "He also said sorry to keep me hanging in the balance," Pujara says. "Because I was making my debut he understood that if I was playing and got the news 45 minutes or an hour before the match, it was not good. But he couldn't do anything about it and I told him that."

When he walked in to bat on the third day, he couldn't have asked for a better partner. Tendulkar was already in the zone, inching towards his double-century.

"Sachin paaji told me, 'You will feel some pressure initially because it is your debut match. You will feel some nerves and stiffness in the body. But just enjoy it, don't put pressure on yourself. It will go away after 10-15 minutes.'

"When I went in I did not feel anything. But as soon as I reached the crease I saw my name, followed by the word 'debutant'. Everyone started screaming. Then I felt, 'Oh, this is the moment I have always wanted to be in.' It was different from a Ranji game."

Having watched Tendulkar and M Vijay dominate the Australian bowling for many hours on an easy pitch, Pujara was looking forward to batting himself. He lasted only three balls, though, and was defeated by a fast, angled, ankle-length Mitchell Johnson delivery from round the stumps. Tendulkar and other team-mates consoled Pujara later, pointing out it was not his fault.

"I was really disappointed and it was really difficult to sleep," he says. "The wicket seemed very batting-friendly. So I thought things would be easy for me, especially as the bowlers were tired. And I was feeling well when I entered. The second ball I hit a four but somehow I got out."

He did not let the disappointment affect his fielding on the fourth day, impressing with his agility at silly point and short leg, giving India's spinners confidence and putting pressure on the Australians.

Pujara's hour of reckoning would arrive on the fifth morning, when he was told during the warm-ups that he would have to bat at one-down. "I said, 'It is perfect,'" he says. He agreed with the team management's strategy behind the move, which was that they did not want an inexperienced player down the order with India chasing in the fourth innings. "Raina and myself are good players but we are still inexperienced in Test cricket."

The confidence MS Dhoni showed in him despite it being only his second international innings was important to him. "The opportunity I got of batting at No. 3 was one of the best moments. It was a bit difficult - a challenging task," Pujara says. "As a debutant you want to score some runs in the first innings, to prove you are capable enough to play at the international level. And when you get out for a low score your confidence does go down. I told myself that I did not do anything wrong, so let me be positive. I have done enough hard work and I'm capable enough to play at international level. And when I got to play at three, that was my best chance."

On the fourth evening he read a spiritual book in Gujarati. One sentence made an impression: "If you have worked enough and if you trust God, then why do you worry about the result?" The book is one Pujara has had since he was 12 or 13. It was introduced to the family by his mother, Reena. "She did not force us to read it, she just left it there. One day I picked it up and started to read it. I get life-changing thoughts reading such stuff, as I believe in God," he says.

The second time he went in to bat, that sentence came to mind. "I said I wouldn't worry about the result. I have worked hard enough. I will try and be in the present. I will just bat," he says.

When Virender Sehwag got out on the fifth morning the crowd went mute for a minute, then sighed, seeing Pujara and not Rahul Dravid, the local hero, walk in. Did Pujara sense the disappointment of the fans? He begs to differ.

"I sensed they wanted me to score runs. They wanted India to win," he says. But he admits the first ball was difficult. The first-innings dismissal was playing on his mind. "I was a bit more nervous."

He took a risky single and was lucky Ricky Ponting missed hitting the stumps at the end to which Vijay was rushing. The next over, Pujara hit Johnson for a boundary, but the momentum only swung his way when Nathan Hauritz came on to bowl his first over of the day. Pujara charged him second ball to hit an off-drive that went straight, past the right of mid-off, to the boundary - his favourite shot from the innings. Eleven came off that over. "I thought then that I could dominate the bowlers," he says.

The fields set for Hauritz were easy for Pujara to manipulate. He had watched the offspinner closely in the first innings. "I had seen him bowl to the same fields during the first innings from round the wicket to Sachin paaji and Vijay. I don't want to say if it was the right field or wrong field, but I knew what field he was going to bowl to me," he says. By lunch Pujara was on 26, including four boundaries.

Pujara made his Test debut on October 9 - the day, in 2005, that his mother passed away, succumbing to cancer. "She was one of the most inspiring persons in my life and the one whom I loved the most," he says. "So I did not want to do anything sad. Wherever she is now, she would be happy."

For Pujara to play for India has not been a dream for him alone. It has been a family dream, one achieved through collective efforts. If there is one person happier than Pujara, it is his father.

"He is a modest person," Pujara says. "People are not aware of how much he has done for me. His contribution to me is tremendous. The satisfaction is, I have met his dream."

__________________

Nice interview 8-)

[raghavendran]

nest dravid ellam rembe over.. :evil:

[Riyazz]

oru matchu ke va......... :banghead:

[sathya_1979]

oru matchu ke va......... :banghead:
Idhu inga pudhu trendu! One match ferfaarmance - nesst Dravid/Sachin/VVS/mcgrath!

[Puliyan_Biryani]

oru matchu ke va......... :banghead:
Idhu inga pudhu trendu! One match ferfaarmance - nesst Dravid/Sachin/VVS/mcgrath!
Topic title maatha solli Vinod,myself,etc ketturukkom. I am not sure if the thread opener visits too often. PR, please edit the title-ya.

[littlemaster1982]

The guy who opened the thread is known for dissing seniors except Ganguly. He saw Pujara as a chance to belittle Dravid, hence the title.

Pujara fans,

Pls suggest a title and PM to mod :)

[Puliyan_Biryani]

The guy who opened the thread is known for dissing seniors except Ganguly. He saw Pujara as a chance to belittle Dravid, hence the title.

Pujara fans,

Pls suggest a title and PM to mod :)
Redirected to Sourav :D

[Sourav]

The guy who opened the thread is known for dissing seniors except Ganguly. He saw Pujara as a chance to belittle Dravid, hence the title.

Pujara fans,

Pls suggest a title and PM to mod :)
Oh... :shock:
i feel its too early to start a thread 4 pujara... oru match-la adichathukku thread-a.... innum laxman, yuvraj, zaheer etc-kellam kooda thread illa.... konja naal aagattum pa... :roll:

[Ramakrishna]

konja naal aagattum pa... :roll:

Ok, ippo close pannittu oru 4-5 days ku appuram reopen pannunga.

[Sourav]

Redirected to Sourav :D hehe... Ty.

But, thaniya thread open panni discuss panra alavukku avaru enna pannitaru... just 1 match,... too early... i think we should ask mods to lock this thread for now... athan youngsters patthi discuss panna young guns thread irukke... :P

[Sourav]

konja naal aagattum pa... :roll:

Ok, ippo close pannittu oru 4-5 days ku appuram reopen pannunga. :twisted: :hammer: ennnatha discuss panna poreenga...oru match vacchu... avar venumne start pannirukkarunu theriyuthu...no point in continuing... :roll:

[hamid]

Redirected to Sourav :D hehe... Ty.

But, thaniya thread open panni discuss panra alavukku avaru enna pannitaru... just 1 match,... too early... i think we should ask mods to lock this thread for now... athan youngsters patthi discuss panna young guns thread irukke... :P

yes..

[Puliyan_Biryani]

Redirected to Sourav :D hehe... Ty.

But, thaniya thread open panni discuss panra alavukku avaru enna pannitaru... just 1 match,... too early... i think we should ask mods to lock this thread for now... athan youngsters patthi discuss panna young guns thread irukke... :P
adhu Sourav thread-dhaane :P. adhai eppadiyaavadhu Ottaanumgara ulnokkam puriyudhu :wink:

[Sourav]

Redirected to Sourav :D hehe... Ty.

But, thaniya thread open panni discuss panra alavukku avaru enna pannitaru... just 1 match,... too early... i think we should ask mods to lock this thread for now... athan youngsters patthi discuss panna young guns thread irukke... :P
adhu Sourav thread-dhaane :P. adhai eppadiyaavadhu Ottaanumgara ulnokkam puriyudhu :wink:
haha, thread oottanumna neenga intha aus ODI series start panna sonnappo start panniruppane... and u could see sehwag thread-la kooda i post 2 different news in one post etc.... thread ellam oottarathu illa...

[Ramakrishna]

Redirected to Sourav :D hehe... Ty.

But, thaniya thread open panni discuss panra alavukku avaru enna pannitaru... just 1 match,... too early... i think we should ask mods to lock this thread for now... athan youngsters patthi discuss panna young guns thread irukke... :P
adhu Sourav thread-dhaane :P. adhai eppadiyaavadhu Ottaanumgara ulnokkam puriyudhu :wink:
haha, thread oottanumna neenga intha aus ODI series start panna sonnappo start panniruppane... and u could see sehwag thread-la kooda i post 2 different news in one post etc.... thread ellam oottarathu illa...

Ootta virupamilayaa. Pinna ethukkunga athu. Mooda sollunga :evil:

[Sourav]

:evil: antha thread-la poyi sandai podunga.... ponga...

i meant pages neraya poganumnu venumne oottakoodathu, :lol2: For example, our HR threads... :lol:

[raajarasigan]

yaaruppa indha thread title suggest pannadhu... :evil: oru match aadinathukke NEXT DRAVID.... non-sense..

[Plum]

Thread aarambichadhu Ok. He is a promising prospect. adhukkAga nestu dravidA?

Thread owner-ku oru threat - ipdillAm paNNinA appuram nAn Pujarakku oru thread open paNNiduvEn :evil: - apram enna aagumnu Hubla ellOrukkum theriyum

[raajarasigan]

ippo ellam indha maadhiri title paarthale, Varungala Mudhalvare, Varungala Thamizhagame, Varaungala Indhiyave - indha maadhiri poster than gnbakathukku varuthu...

[Sourav]

Title changed.