AB de Villiers' advice should come in handy: Pujara
It`s not Chris Gayle but AB de Villiers who gave some precious advice to Cheteshwar Pujara after the latter was appointed India A captain for the tour of the West Indies.
|Last Updated: May 29, 2012, 08:53 PM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: It`s not Chris Gayle but AB de Villiers who gave some precious advice to Cheteshwar Pujara after the latter was appointed India A captain for the tour of the West Indies.
"I might not have played for RCB in the last month and a half but I was working really hard at the nets. Since this is my first tour of West Indies, I was keen on doing a bit of homework. I spoke to AB about the wickets there and also on my batting," the Saurashtra batsman told scribes.
"He (De Viliers) gave me some good tips on subtle adjustments in batting. Also RCB coach Venkatesh Prasad told me that save Kingston, the pitches at other venues would be on a slower side which would suit our batsmen," Pujara said.
Didn`t you get a chance to speak to Gayle, he smiled and replied, "No."
He is not under any undue pressure keeping in mind that a good show in the Caribbean will help him make a comeback into the senior team.
"I have never felt any pressure. Rather than pressure of performing, it is a big motivation to play for India `A` as any good performance at this level will be noticed. Most of us have played for `A` team on overseas tours, so we have that requisite experience."
Pujara has always been touted as the one who should replace Rahul Dravid at No 3 but a couple of knee surgeries has pushed him back in the race. However he doesn`t feel that it would be like starting from the scratch.
"I won`t say that it`s like starting from zero. After coming back from injury, I had played four Ranji Trophy matches as well as in the Duleep Trophy. I have also played a few matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore."
Coach Lalchand Rajput was asked whether he would employ rotation policy, he answered,"The best XI will play in every match."
While batsmen may heave a sigh of relief on slower wickets, will it be a tough ask for fast bowlers like Ashok Dinda and Parvinder Awana, the India A captain said, "Our bowlers know the art of taking wickets on slower surfaces. It won`t be a problem.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.