Rohit Sharma Discusses Team Strategies for Dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara in Junior Cricket

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Cheteshwar Pujara's wicket was a frequent topic of discussion among Rohit Sharma and his Mumbai teammates during their junior cricket days. They knew that dismissing the Saurashtra batter was crucial to winning matches, as Pujara could bat for days.

Rohit recalled that Pujara's wicket often determined the outcome of age-group games, highlighting his early signs of becoming a formidable player.

Rohit shared these memories at the launch of Puja Pujara’s book, 'The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife’. He humorously noted how playing against Pujara under the sun would change his appearance so much that even his mother noticed.

"All I remember is that when I used to go to the ground when I was 14 years old, and when I came back in the evening, the colour of my face would be completely different," he said.

Pujara's Resilience and Dedication

Pujara's career faced significant challenges due to ACL injuries in both knees early on. Rohit praised Pujara for overcoming these injuries and playing over 100 Tests for India. "It was such a big injury and such a bad injury. Both his ACL were gone," Rohit remarked, acknowledging the dedication and passion Pujara showed to continue playing cricket at the highest level.

Despite teasing him about his running technique, Rohit admired Pujara's resilience. "We used to tease him about his running technique and all that but he managed to play more than 100 Test matches for India after that, a lot of credit goes to him for how he managed it," Rohit added.

Memorable Series Against Australia

Pujara considered the 2016-17 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia as one of the toughest series in his career. He recalled an incident from the second Test in Bangalore where India struggled in both innings. "I can mention one incident, in 2017, when India was bowled out for 200 odd runs against Australia, that was one of the toughest Test series I've been part of," Pujara said.

During this challenging series, Pujara sought advice from Anil Kumble on tackling Nathan Lyon. Kumble suggested technical adjustments based on guessing the bowler's strategy. "Because I was second guessing the bowler, and I got it right after the 115 read 132 Test matches, so it was all about guess work," Kumble explained.

Parental Support and Sacrifices

Both Pujara and Rohit acknowledged their parents' sacrifices in supporting their cricket careers. Pujara shared how he lost his mother at 17 but remembered her confidence in his future success. "I still remember my mother's advice about what you do in your life, and she was very confident that I'll end up playing for the country," Pujara said.

Rohit also reflected on his parents' unwavering support throughout his life. "Since the day I was born to now, the support of my mother and father has been immense," he stated, appreciating their sacrifices for him and his brother.

With inputs from PTI