'Definitely want to be part of': Pujara confident of playing in IPL
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The Test specialist has not featured in the cash-rich league since 2014. He featured for three franchises between 2008 and 2014, but could not attract any bids later on.
Cheteshwar Pujara's prolific run-scoring innings in Test cricket is known to all. His performance in the recently concluded Australia series became a talking point in the world of cricket. However, the Indian batsman is keen to try his luck in other formats too.
Pujara expressed his desire to be a part of the Indian Premier League.
"Definitely want to be part of the IPL. Given an opportunity, I am confident I'll be able to do well," he told NDTV.
The Test specialist has not featured in the cash-rich league since 2014. He featured for three franchises between 2008 and 2014, but could not attract any bids later on.
Cheteshwar Pujara made his IPL debut under the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he played till 2010. Then he joined Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he played from 2011 to 2013. In 2014, Pujara was bought by Kings XI Punjab but was released in a single season as has been unsold ever since.
Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara earned a lot of praise for his performance in the famous Gabba win against Australia in Brisbane. The batsman scored brave knock of 56 runs in 211 balls (his slowest-ever Test half-century) helped batsmen like Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant to swing their bats freely.
Despite suffering blows from Australia's world-class pace attack, Pujara stood his ground in order to not lose a wicket and put the visitors under pressure. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, in particular, led the short ball brigade, as Pujara was hit on different parts of the body at least 10 times.
"From my early days, I am not in the habit of taking pain- killers. That’s why my threshold to bear pain is pretty high. You play for so long, you get used to getting hit," Pujara told Indian Express.