Cheteshwar Pujara is the best-prepared Indian batter for the World Test Championship final against Australia starting June 7 at The Oval in London. The India No. 3 spent the last two months in the English County with Sussex when his teammates were grinding it out in the Indian Premier League back home amid extreme heat and humidity.
Pujara acclimatised quickly and struck form with 545 runs in six innings.
The right-hander has been a nemesis for the Aussies since the 2018-19 tour Down Under when he scored 521 runs in seven innings. He did not smash hundreds in the 2020-21 series, but the resolute fifties ensured an upper hand for India in Sydney and Brisbane.
It is a no-brainer that the Aussies will be wary of Pujara in the WTC final as he is used to the conditions by now.
Having played potent English seamers in the County, including the likes of Ollie Robinson at the Sussex nets, will help Pujara negate the threat of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to some extent.
Pile of runs
Pujara faced rough waters after being dropped from the squad post the Test series against South Africa in early 2022 due to poor form. He scored 1,094 County Championship runs at a mammoth average of 109.40 in eight appearances in the same year to return to the Indian Test side.
The old-school Test cricketer maintained his stellar form in 2023 and even led Sussex. Pujara's 545 runs came at an average of 68.12, including three centuries and a fifty.
The pitch at The Oval will assist the seamers, but there will be something for the spinners after the first two days. It is not a worry for Pujara as he has scored 2,033 runs and five centuries against Australia in 24 Tests. He will be keen to better his international average in England (29.60 in 15 Tests with one century; 132 not out in Southampton against England in 2018).
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels Pujara will be the man for India in the series, besides Virat Kohli. "Pujara has been a thorn in their side a lot in the past and in Australia. This wicket will potentially be a lot more like an Australian pitch. They know they'll have to get him early," he said in The ICC Review.
Batting with Steve Smith
World No. 3 Test batter Steve Smith gave Pujara company in Sussex for the last few games. It could be a massive confidence boost for Pujara who ran between the wickets and even stitched a partnership with the Aussie star in the game against Worcestershire.
Smith joined the side in May and scored only one fifty, 89, but it prepared him for the WTC final. The Sussex stint will also help carve the path for The Ashes, scheduled after the ICC showpiece.
Ahead of Smith's arrival in the County, Pujara had said he would try and get to know the Australian better since they had not played for the same team earlier. "It will be exciting. I will try and get his thoughts, try and know him a little better. He (Smith) is a great influence to have in the team, and the guys will be looking forward to having him in the dressing room and will try and have a chat to him and learn from him, just to see how he prepares as he has a lot of experience.
"We will be playing WTC final (against each other), so it will be mixed feelings. On the field we always have good battles, but off the field we are good friends," Pujara told Sussex cricket.
Smith and Pujara may have observed each other closely in Sussex to share inputs with their national team bowlers ahead of the big Test.
The only worry is that Pujara has played three Test matches at The Oval with a best score of 61, while Smith has scored 391 runs at an average of 97.75, with a highest score of 143.
Now that Pujara has become a local boy who drives to the Team India nets, one can expect him to iron out the flaws and fire on all cylinders.
New Zealand beat India in the final of the inaugural edition of the WTC in 2021. India will be keen on turning the tide.
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