India’s Test specialist batsman Cheteshwar Pujara landed himself an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract after a gap of six years. It was Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who swooped in for the veteran batsman but legendary Australian pacer Brett Lee isn’t sure if Pujara will get a place in the team.
Pujara has the reputation of being a ‘Test specialist’ who toils with the bowlers, making them struggle for his wicket. When it comes to T20 cricket, however, the equation changes a lot. Pujara wouldn’t have as much time to pace his innings as he does in red-ball cricket. Lee, hence, has his apprehensions.
“You can look at two different aspects. Firstly, he is a terrific cricketer – there is no doubt about his ability, no doubt about his technique or his determination to bat time. But when you look at the other side of things, you’ve also got to think that this isn’t Test cricket, this is T20s. It’s over in 90 minutes, 20 overs,” Lee said on the show titled T20 Crazy on SportsAdda.
A big problem with Pujara’s case is the fact that he hasn’t played much T20 cricket even domestically. Lack of T20 experience is what has created doubts in people’s minds but it’s only through performances that Puajra can change that.
“You’ve got to score runs as quickly as possible. Can he do that under pressure? Maybe he can. What we’ve seen recently in the Australian series is that he loves to bat time so look it’s an interesting call. I’m a big fan of Pujara, I think he has a lot to offer. But let’s see if he can make it in this format,” Lee explained.
