CHENNAI: Locked down in Rajkot with father, wife and daughter, Cheteshwar Pujara is trying his hand at helping out with household work. Keeping fit at the gym at home and running after
his two-year-old, the Test specialist is also getting mentally ready to play the big knocks. Excerpts from a chat with The New Indian Express...
Are you as patient at home as you are at the crease?
Not really. I'm not good at doing household stuff. But I'm improving. Being professional players, we spend a lot of time away from home. Now I am in a situation where I get to spend a lot of time with family. That’s one positive. I can't cook, but I help my wife prepare dishes, clean and run after Aditi. I try and do things I didn’t in the past. During the lockdown period, it’s important to help family members. I share the work.
Doing anything that you normally don't?
After taking care of a young child and helping with things at home, there isn't much time for anything else (like reading or watching movies). Aditi is full of energy and wants to play all the time. Sometimes at night, we watch a bit of TV. I have to stay fit irrespective of what is happening. So I'm doing my routines everyday at the gym at home. Being engaged in these things leaves little time for hobbies.
How satisfying was winning the Ranji Trophy?
It was quite big, for me and for the Saurashtra team. After we lost the final last year, we had a chat right after that. I spoke. Jaydev Unadkat spoke. We told the boys we were capable. It didn't happen although we came very close. We told the boys we will do it next year. The secret was, they were confident. The process started before the season. We have a good bunch of players. They just needed a bit of guidance in terms of how to put in the hard work in the right way. We made them understand it's a team and practiced with respect to areas that we needed to work on. Unadkat's performance was massive and he deserves all the accolades. We're good friends and were in touch throughout the season. It was a collective effort.
You haven't scored a Test century since the 2018-19 tour of Australia. Do these things bother you?
We haven't played many Tests after that (nine). I scored five fifties in those. Even though I set high standards for myself, the seventies and eighties also help the team. If you score a fifty every second innings, it's not that bad. I take it in a positive way. I batted well, be it in Ranji Trophy or Test matches. I'm confident that when things settle down and we start playing, things will fall in place and the big knocks will come.
Assessing a season a few years back, you had regretted saying 'too many fifties'. Do you consider fifties a job well done?
I do. It's true that a century puts the opposition under greater pressure and as a batsman, I try to convert starts. But a fifty can also be a useful contribution to the team. I'd like to do better after getting a fifty, but it doesn't mean that it's not a job well done.
You don't have a Test century in New Zealand. Is it a challenge you haven't been able to handle?
I wouldn't say I've been a total failure there. I played just four Tests and there was a gap of six years between the two series. The problem with a two-Test series is when you settle down, get into rhythm and realise what's right and wrong, the series is over. This time I thought I was doing well and got out after getting a fifty, which was due to a mistake I made I must agree. Yes, we didn't win the series, but personally I won't call it a total failure. There were things to learn and reasons to be positive.
There were talks of strike rate and rotation of strike in the past. Have things settled down?
Things have changed and I am more settled down now. The team management has understood what my role is, what is expected of my batting and what works for me. Everyone has realised how I can contribute. One has to play according to his strengths. That's what I try to do instead of getting worried about what is being said.
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