In Sharjah, he appeared against Kings XI Punjab (now known as the Punjab Kings) and bowled to Cheteshwar Pujara, who had just retired. Kane Richardson, an Australian bowler, recalled his time playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2014 Indian Premier League.
Richardson recalled how Pujara’s undefeated 40 off 38 in a 192-run chase helped KXIP win. The right-armer also recalled how KXIP crossed the line thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s 89 (45). Even though he returned with respectable numbers of 1/25 in three overs, he acknowledged that he was unable to overcome Pujara’s strong defence that day.
“I recall playing him in the IPL, actually. Although his IPL career was somewhat brief, he did start the batting for the Punjab [Kings] in Sharjah one year and helped them win. He attempted to play short-form cricket, but it took a Maxwell masterclass to get them over the finish line after he struck 40 from about 45 [38]. However, I believe that his strength was just his personality in the test format. In an interview with cricket.com.au, Richardson revealed, “I couldn’t get through him.”
I had a nice taste of it that day, and that’s as near as I went to bowling to Cheteshwar Pujara.
Cheteshwar Pujara traditional style, in Richardson’s opinion, has a place in the game. According to Richardson, Pujara was an important member of his squad because of his traditional style, which tormented the opposition.
Additionally, even if it might not be ideal for broadcasters and spectators, I believe it has a place. Similar to Test cricket, it hasn’t become any shorter—five days remain. Therefore, as we mentioned, if someone like that has a function to perform, they improve everyone around them. Hats off! The opposition detests playing against them! So, yes, Cheteshwar Pujara had a fantastic career. Have fun, well-earned feet up!” he continued.
Richardson praised Cheteshwar Pujara for balancing the “giants around him” in his 61 white-ball appearances for Australia. Additionally, he admitted that Cheteshwar Pujara was always a challenging opponent for the Australians to play against in Test matches.
In that batting order, he’s practically the ideal counterpoint to many of the giants that surround him. Yes, he had a fantastic career, but as you mentioned, he was Australia’s nemesis for a very long time. The bowling squad from Australia would also say, “Thank God, he’s not playing anymore.” On a hot day, Pujara goes out after you lose the toss on the first day and are bowling on a flatty [flat track]. It wouldn’t get much harder than that. Yes, fantastic player,” he said in closing.
Despite his inability to succeed in the shortest format, Pujara was a formidable opponent in Test cricket. In his final 103 Test matches for India, Pujara amassed 7195 runs at a remarkable average of 43.60.
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