Is Pujara making a strong comeback for India with County performance?

Cheteshwar Pujara was considered to be one of India’s best Test batters in the modern era not too long ago. However, his underwhelming performances in the last year forced the selectors to take some tough decisions and a forgettable tour of South Africa in December- January where he managed just 124 runs averaging 20.66 tested their patience and he along with Ajinkya Rahane were axed from the Indian Test squad for the subsequent home series against Sri Lanka.

While the Gujarat cricketer did score a 91 in the Ranji Trophy group stages, his performances in the following games were not impactful enough to take the previous edition’s champions through to the knockouts.

Cheteshwar Pujara finally makes his bat do the talking

Nonetheless, the senior batter did not lose hope and decided to prove his mettle in the ongoing County Championship where he is representing Sussex. With the knocks that he has played on the English soil recently, it can be rightfully said that it might just go a long way in helping him consolidate his place in the Indian red-ball setup as they visit England for the all-important rescheduled Test in July, with India currently leading the incomplete series 2-1.

Batting for Sussex this season, Pujara has already hit two double centuries and a century in three matches. With his current form, the move of him having flown to the UK for a full-fledged County season has turned out to be the right one, and with no Test cricket till early July for the Men In Blue, he would be hoping to have a consistent run in the remainder of the County season.

While Sussex have been winless this season, from an individual point of view, Pujara has stood out for them. His knocks in the County Championship include 109 against Worcestershire, a valiant unbeaten 201 against Derbyshire and a solid 203 not out against Durham in testing conditions.

Meanwhile, Pujara also equalled former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin’s 28-year-old record of smashing two double hundreds in the County Cricket. As of now, the Gujarat batter has amassed 531 runs in five innings at an impressive strike rate of 132.75.