Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Kane Richardson recently looked back on Cheteshwar Pujara’s journey in cricket while paying glowing tributes to the veteran Indian batter. Speaking after Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket, Richardson recalled the one time he bowled to him in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and how tough it was to dismiss the Saurashtra right-hander.
Richardson mentioned Pujara’s innings for Kings XI Punjab, now Punjab Kings (PBKS), in IPL 2014. He played an anchor’s role in a successful run-chase against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Sharjah. Pujara scored unbeaten 40 runs off 38 balls.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s innings set the stage for Glenn Maxwell’s explosive 89 off 45 and David Miller’s unbeaten 51 off 19 that sealed the game for Punjab by seven wickets.
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Also read: Top 5 Test Knocks Of Cheteshwar Pujara
Kane Richardson Recalls Bowling to Cheteshwar Pujara in IPL, Calls Him Australia’s Biggest Nemesis
While Pujara’s IPL career never took off, Kane Richardson pointed out that the knock reflected his willingness to adapt to the shorter formats. At the same time, he stressed that Pujara’s greatest strength was his unwavering focus on Test cricket, where he built a reputation as one of the most resilient batters of his generation.
Recalling his experience, Richardson said as quoted on cricket.com.au’s YouTube channel:
"I actually remember playing him in the IPL. He had a really small IPL career, but he opened the batting one year for Punjab at Sharjah, and he anchored them to a win. He made 40 off like 45, and it took a Maxwell masterclass to get them over the line, but he tried to play short-form cricket. But I think his strength was just what he was in the Test format. So, that’s as close as what I got to bowling to Pujara, and I got a good taste of it that day. I couldn’t get through him."
He further praised Pujara for sticking to his strengths in red-ball cricket.
"Well, definitely not in the long format cricket (hitting sixes). It’s, I mean, everyone wants to play every format now, and there are no problems with upskilling and trying to get as good as you can across all three formats, but there is a beauty and romance in someone who does this old school way," he added.
Richardson stated that such players might not entertain crowds the same way as aggressive hitters but their value to the team is immense.
"And whilst it may not be the best for the people in the stands and broadcasters, I think there’s definitely a role for it. Like Test cricket, it’s not gotten any shorter; it's still five days. So, like we said, if there’s a role to play for someone like that, they make everyone around them better. Opposition hates playing against them like hats off. So yeah, great career [for] Pujara. Enjoy, well-earned feet up," Richardson opined.
The Australian pacer also reflected on how much of a challenge Pujara posed to Australia in particular.
"Yeah, amazing career and like you said, he was the thorn in Australia’s side for so long, wasn’t he? And the thing that you, I think, you look back on, and when he’s spoken about, people reflect on is how he did it in his own way... This is a man who has not put his feet in that water at all. He’s just stayed to his process and the way he wants to play Test cricket. He’s almost the perfect foil to so many of those giants around him in that batting order. So, I would say that those guys will reflect on him retiring and be like, 'Wow, that guy was great to play with because he made our job so much easier.'"
"And same for the Aussies bowling team would be like, 'Thank God, he’s not playing anymore.' Like I can’t imagine, day one you lose the toss and you’re bowling on a flatty and Pujara walks out on a hot day like. Like that’s as hard as it would get. Yeah, amazing player," Richardson concluded.
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Cheteshwar Pujara’s Retirement And Career Numbers
Pujara recently announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. In the 2010s, he became the backbone of India’s Test batting line-up after Rahul Dravid’s retirement.
He represented India in 103 Tests and amassed 7,195 runs in 176 innings at an average of 43.60 with 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries.
Outside Tests, Pujara played five ODIs for India, scoring 51 runs. In the IPL, he managed 390 runs from 30 matches at an average of 20.53 and a strike-rate of 99.74, including one half-century.
Also read: Cheteshwar Pujara Retirement: Batter opens up about Gabba Wall, legacy & more
