“I keep telling myself that I know I belong there,” Cheteshwar Pujara opens up about getting dropped from the Test team 

Pujara opens up about how it felt after getting dropped from the Test side

“I keep telling myself that I know I belong there,” Cheteshwar Pujara opens up about getting dropped from the Test team 

Pujara Batting for India in the WTC Finals (Image via ESPNCricinfo)

Cheteshwar Pujara was India’s number 3 batter for over a decade, being a very important part of the Test team. He was Rahul Dravid’s replacement at the spot and established himself as one of the best Test batters of the Indian team. He played 103 tests in a span of 13 years, scoring 7195 runs averaging 43.61. Pujara was known for his ability to bat for hours and keeping a high price for his wicket. 

Unfortunately, Pujara has been dropped from the Test team. He was not in the squad to face the West Indies in July 2023, with rising star Shubman Gill taking his spot. Pujara last played in the 2023 World Test Championship Finals. He was earlier dropped from the Test team in their tour of South Africa in 2021-22. 

YouTube video

In the Final Word Podcast, Pujara spoke about how it felt getting dropped. “Sometimes it plays around with your ego. Having been successful at the international level for so many years, there are still doubts – are you good enough. And if you have to prove yourself again and again, [you wonder] whether it is worth it.” 

Pujara further said he believes he should be in the Test team. “I keep telling myself that I know I belong there,” Pujara said. “I know that the kind of contributions I have made to Indian cricket, I still have a lot to contribute.” 

He says whenever he bats for India, he doesn’t bat to save his spot in the team but to be a matchwinner. Pujara doesn’t want to be another selfish cricketer, but wants to win games for India. 

Related: “The benchmarks should be the same for all the players,” Harbhajan Singh DEMANDS respect for Cheteshwar Pujara after his exclusion from squad for West Indies tour

Cheteshwar Pujara’s stint with Sussex 

IMG COM 20230822 1609 03 9791
Pujara celebrating a ton in his first game of for Sussex 2023 (Image via Sportstar)

In the podcast, Pujara spoke about his time with Sussex County Cricket Club. Before the WTC Final, Pujara and Steve Smith played for Sussex. Pujara currently captains the county club in their First Class matches and regularly plays for the List A side as well.

He said he doesn’t play county cricket to get back in the Indian team. Pujara also said that he enjoys playing cricket for Sussex, but whenever he scores runs in domestic or county, it gets him one step closer to playing for India.

In case you missed: