Cheteshwar Pujara feels he is all set to make a stellar comeback for India on the series set to happen later this year in June in England. The 37-year-old was once a regular in the Test setup for India, but in recent times, he has gone out of favor with the national selection committee, his last Test coming in June 2023, which was the 2021-23 World Test Championship final played at The Oval.
Even when there were no call-ups to the national team, he continued to play first-class cricket for Saurashtra. In the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy season, he scored 402 runs in the seven matches he played for Saurashtra, who eventually reached the quarter-finals.
Speaking at the RevSportz Conclave, Pujara mentioned that he is more than ready for Test cricket, and if given a chance with this team, he thinks they can defeat England in an away series. “I’m playing domestic cricket. If given a chance, I am ready to grab it with both hands.
The hunger is even more. When you are older, you need to work even harder. We’ve got the bowling. We need to put runs on the board. And we have the players to do so. We’ve got to respect the bowling and the conditions. I won’t say that we don’t have a chance,” said Pujara.
Speaking on advantage India might have during the Champions Trophy in 2025, where they have all their games in Dubai, Pujara does not agree that the Men in Blue had an additional advantage, explaining that the schedule was released before the start of the competition and that it was India’s security fears that forced them to play in the UAE.
“I don’t suppose that. The schedule of all the matches was put out before the start of the tournament. The tournament is being played in a hybrid model due to security reasons, due to which India couldn’t visit Pakistan,” he said.
Led by Rohit Sharma, the team will now meet New Zealand in the last fight, where the Men in Blue hope to add to their trophies after winning the T20 World Cup in 2024. They remain unbeaten in the competition for its ongoing edition, and India will be highly desire to take the last win to take the title.
