The Indian Test specialist, Cheteshwar Pujara has always been known for his rigid defensive game and grinding the best bowlers to the ground with his patient batting, but as he hit the nets with his new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he threw caution to the wind, batting with an aggressive mindset that is the primary requirement for the shortest format of the game.
In a video shared on Twitter, Cheteshwar Pujara, who batted with a higher bat-lift than he does in Tests, was seen timing the ball to performance as he smashed aerial shots to all sides of the field against the net bowlers and the throwdown specialist. Here is the video of the same:
Puji was on fire 🔥@cheteshwar1 #csk https://t.co/CNbPXi786q
— DRP 🇮🇳 (@its_DRP) March 30, 2021
Twitter users were impressed by Pujara’s new batting approach. “40 ball hundred loading,” one user wrote in response to the video. “Stance badla hua lag raha hai (The stance looks different),” one of the fans wrote. “That last ball six was gorgeous. Hopefully, it won’t affect his Test career. Go well Pujji,” another user commented.
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“Wow, @cheteshwar1 changed his stance, more uplift of a bat, may be that’s the way to go for hard hitting in shorter formats, can’t wait to see him, hope @msdhoni_7781 gives him the chance to prove his worth,” wrote another. “Playing lofted shots … Very excited to see him in the playing 11,” tweeted a user.
https://twitter.com/flickofkohli_18/status/1376900376629104642?s=20
https://twitter.com/its_np13/status/1376903858002161666?s=20
https://twitter.com/akshatabhishek0/status/1377122271752454146?s=20
https://twitter.com/vlskumar2/status/1376922712900182016?s=20
Pujara was picked up by CSK for his base price of ₹50 lakhs in the mini-auction ahead of the 14th edition of the cash-rich league. Considered a Test specialist for India, he does not feature for the national team in the shorter formats. He last played an IPL game in 2014.
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Talking about joining the CSK squad, Cheteshwar Pujara said, “I think it is a change of mindset switching from the Test format to the IPL and you just need to switch the gears as early as possible. So, I feel it is the mental aspect that changes quickly with good preparation I am really hoping that I’ll do well in the IPL.”
IPL 2021 is set to kick off on April 9. CSK will play their first match on April 10 against Delhi Capitals.
