'He Must Have Worked Out a Few Strategies Against...': Gavaskar on Pujara Ahead of WTC Final
Pujara and Smith together for Sussex [Twitter]
While most of the prominent Indian players were occupied with the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 during the past couple of months, Cheteshwar Pujara dedicated his time to playing for the County side Sussex. Notably, he not only represented the team but also assumed the captaincy role.
Pujara’s experience has led former Indian batter, Sunil Gavaskar, to emphasize the significant role the veteran batter’s presence and understanding of conditions will play in the team's performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia starting June 7.
Gavaskar emphasized Pujara's advantage, stating that his presence in England would have allowed him to closely observe the behaviour of pitches, particularly at The Oval, where the final will be held. He reckoned that although the Indian No. 3 may not have played at The Oval itself, being in Sussex, which is situated not far from London, must have enabled him to keep a watchful eye on the prevailing conditions.
According to the legendary batter, Pujara’s insights are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the team's batting approach and even influencing strategic decisions in terms of captaincy.
"The fact that he is been around will mean that he will have also seen how the pitch has been behaving at The Oval. "He might not have played at The Oval, he might be in Sussex not too far away from London, but he will have kept an eye on what is happening and his inputs will be invaluable as far as the batting unit is concerned or even as far as the captaincy is concerned," said Gavaskar on Star Sports.
The Indian veteran further highlighted the significance of Pujara's leadership experience, as he had captained the Sussex team. According to him, this aspect adds an additional dimension to Pujara's contribution, as he would have likely formulated various strategies while leading the team, potentially benefitting the Indian side in their battle against Australia.
Moreover, Gavaskar stated that Pujara's teammate at Sussex happened to be the Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith, which adds another layer of insight into the mindset and techniques of the opposition.
“He will have the captains here as far as the Oval pitch is concerned and don't forget he has also been captaining the team, so he definitely will have worked out quite a few strategies seeing that Steve Smith, the Australian is his teammate at the moment,” added the 73-year-old.
Both India and Australia have reached England have started practising ahead of the big ICC event.
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