Indian cricket team batsman Cheteshwar Pujara did not want to focus on the loss in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand and he said that he is looking at the Australian challenge after India’s historic victory Down Under last year. While India started the tour brilliantly with five wins in the T20I series, they were defeated comprehensively in the following Test and ODI series.
“It is one of the most important series for us.”
“They (Smith and Warner) are important players but if we played the way we played in the last series, we should be able to beat them. Fast bowlers have to be fresh and ready for that series and I am sure their workload will be managed. Best part about the tour is that we recently played in Australia (2018-19). I feel that is the biggest advantage for us,” Pujara said in his interview with media.
With the introduction of the ICC World Test Championship, all the international sides are playing each other and Pujara pointed out that no team, including India, have done consistently well overseas. He believes that the reason behind this trend is the reducing pool of quality Test cricketers.
“The importance of limited overs cricket has increased significantly. You are not getting too many quality Test players. Earlier, there was a lot of importance given to a Test series. Players used to take ample rest before that. Now we see so many injuries during the season.
“If you look India, Australia, England, the pool of players will be not more than 20-25 whereas if you talk about 10 years ago, India used to have 30-50 players who were ready for Test cricket. I am not saying there are no players available. But if they are ready for Test cricket or not, that is the question.” Over the past 24 months, India have lost Test series in England, South Africa and New Zealand. Pujara said the batsmen’s shot selection could have been better in New Zealand where they were completely outplayed.”
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