'I am lucky that I will be playing under Mahi bhai': Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of IPL 2021

Cheteshwar Pujara is set to make his Indian Premier League comeback after being roped in by Chennai Super Kings for the 2021 season. The Indian batsman last featured in the 2014 edition of the cash-rich league. 

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CSK boss N Srinivasan said that Cheteshwar Pujara is a national hero and couldn’t have let Pujara go unsold during the IPL 2021 auctions. 

Acknowledging Srinivasan's comments, Pujara said: “It is very kind of him to say that. I feel privileged to be part of such a franchise that respects the performance of the players for the national team. I am lucky that I will be playing under Mahi Bhai who was my captain when I made international debut.

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“And when Mr Srinivasan, who has been associated with cricket for a long time, says such things, it feels great. It is an emotional moment for me,” Pujara told Cricbuzz.

Pujara has featured in 30 IPL matches where he scored 390 runs at an average and strike-rate of 20.53 and 99.74 respectively with a top score of 51.  

“I don’t overrate myself as a T20 player. I can’t say where I stand as a T20 cricketer but as a cricketer, I am in much better space. Having played a lot of cricket at the international level, I am very confident I will do well in the shorter format too. I feel I am part of the right setup in the IPL,” he added.