Galle: Cheteshwar Pujara has an insatiable appetite for runs. The Saurashtra player’s 153, besides Shikhar Dhawan’s 190, was a vital component of India’s 600 against Sri Lanka here in the first Test. With an impish grin and earnestness, he squared up to the press on Thursday.
Excerpts
The match’s fate: At the international level, it doesn’t matter whether the wicket is flat or whether there is some assistance for the bowlers. You always want to score big runs and put up a big total. We are the number one team in the world and we would like to maintain that standard. We have scored enough runs, and we have got five wickets. We are well poised.
The pitch: There is some assistance for the spinners. R. Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja have been bowling well even in the last season and they have continued that. Our bowlers bowled better line and length and we will see a little more turn on this wicket. The pitch is drying, so there will be assistance.
Hardik Pandya’s debut: He is a very good all-rounder. When it comes to his batting, he trusts his strengths. The way he bats, he could dominate the bowlers. Being an all-rounder it helps for the team because we need someone who can bowl ten overs in a day if there is an opportunity.
The Shikhar effect: It was challenging for him as he was making a comeback and the way he batted, it was a pleasure to watch from the other end.
The County stint: I played about four county matches which always helps. When I have some time in between Test matches and if I am not part of the IPL, I prefer to go and play some county matches. You grow as a cricketer, your technique improves and when you come and play international cricket again, you have some experience of playing first-class cricket and you are always in touch with the game.
Daddy hundreds: I always enjoy scoring hundreds. When you are playing Test cricket and if you have an opportunity to score a hundred, you might as well score more than 100, as many runs as possible. I always enjoy scoring big runs.
