Have really worked hard on my fitness: Cheteshwar Pujara

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Have-really-worked-hard-on-my-fitness-Cheteshwar-Pujara/articleshow/28476217.cms MUMBAI: Cheteshwar Pujara, who has climbed to his career-best fifth in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen after a fine series in South Africa, on Monday said he had worked very hard on the fitness in the last six months after his knee surgery in 2011. Pujara aggregated 280 runs in the recently-concluded two-Test series against South Africa. "I am really satisfied with my performance over the last one to one-and-a-half years. I have worked hard on my game. I have also worked hard on my fitness over the last 4-6 months after the surgery. I am paying a lot of attention to fitness. I was a bit lazy in my gym sessions earlier," said Pujara at a media conference here organised by his employers, Indian Oil Corporation. "Improved fitness helps one to concentrate more when batting. I want to keep improving as a cricketer," said the 25-year-old batsman, who underwent a surgery in London after tearing a knee ligament in IPL 4 at Bangalore. The Saurashtra-born batsman, who averaged over 70 in the two-Test rubber with a ton in the opening Test at Johannesburg, was one among many sportspersons present at the conference. Pujara, however, refused to take any question on the tour of South Africa, where India first lost 0-2 in the ODI series of which he was not a part and then 0-1 in the two-Test rubber that followed. "I am not allowed (by Cricket Board's contract) to talk about past or future tours," he said. He also pointed out the importance of the Times Shield inter-offices tournament that he had played for his company in his growth as a player with a penchant for scoring double and triple hundreds. "I was an under 19 cricketer when I joined Indian Oil. I have played a lot of Times Shield matches for IOL and I have learnt a lot from people like (former India opener) Wasim Jaffer (who was present) and others," he said. Present at the media conference to answer questions apart from Pujara and Jaffer were fellow-cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, snooker champion Aditya Mehta, shuttlers P Kashyap, Arun Vishnu, Aparna Balan, new national 200m sprint champion Amiya Mallick from Orissa and carrom champions Yogesh Pardeshi and K Srinivas. Rahane, who came of age with scores of 51 not out and 96 in the second Test that India lost at Durban, also refused to talk about the just-concluded SA tour or the upcoming trip to New Zealand, citing BCCI's contract as the reason. "Mental toughness is very important at the highest level of the game and I am working hard on this aspect," said the 25-year-old Mumbai player. While Rahane is a part of the ODI as well as Test squad to tour New Zealand later this month, Pujara would figure only in the two Tests that follow the five-match limited overs series that starts on January 19 and concludes on January 31. IOL's Executive Director for Corporate Communications and Branding, Shrikant Bapat, said the oil major takes talented 14-year-old youngsters under its wings on sports scholarships and then gives them a three-year contract before absorbing them as employees.

[velu]

[ThePhenomenal1]

A shame they can't talk about past or future tours. Just hope that non-performers and inconsistent players (ishant, dhoni, ashwin) in the test format face the criticism soon enough or we'll keep losing tours. Surprised the media is quiet on ishant and even zak

[vvvslaxman]

A shame they can't talk about past or future tours. Just hope that non-performers and inconsistent players (ishant' date=' dhoni, ashwin) in the test format face the criticism soon enough or we'll keep losing tours. Surprised the media is quiet on ishant and even zak[/quote'] Zak i will go easy on him. Nobody knew what to expect from him. But we kind knew what to expect from Ishant. He proved everyone right millionth time. Ashwin deserved atleast one chance before discarding him. So he was rightly excluded in the 2nd match. They didn't persist with him unlike they did with Ishant. Ishant is the only one who always plays rain or shine.

[Vijy]

^ Ishant and Sami (for Pak) were both bowlers who appeared to have everything - and turned out to have nothing.

[Switchblade]

Zak i will go easy on him. Nobody knew what to expect from him. But we kind knew what to expect from Ishant. He proved everyone right millionth time. Ashwin deserved atleast one chance before discarding him. So he was rightly excluded in the 2nd match. They didn't persist with him unlike they did with Ishant. Ishant is the only one who always plays rain or shine.

The sad thing is that we are still relying on Zak to be the leader of the attack when the likes of Ishant or RP should have been the leaderof the bowling attack by now sadly RP lost his way and Ishant despite having played for 7 years looks clueless out there . He never looks like taking a wicket and it just seems that he is going through the motions.As far as Pujara goes he has been superb so far should have been tried in the O.D.I format as our middle order looks shaky to me :nervous: .

[Vijy]

The sad thing is that we are still relying on Zak to be the leader of the attack when the likes of Ishant or RP should have been the leaderof the bowling attack by now sadly RP lost his way and Ishant despite having played for 7 years looks clueless out there . He never looks like taking a wicket and it just seems that he is going through the motions.As far as Pujara goes he has been superb so far should have been tried in the O.D.I format as our middle order looks shaky to me :nervous: .

Exactly. The middle order had both Raina and Yuvi, and now one person is gone. Still, that prob leaves Raina, Dhobi and Jaddu in the middle order. Of them, Dhobi bats well in ODIs, but he is not the best player of bounce, and the other 2 have more serious deficiencies. Our No.4 should be technically adept - Pujara preferably, or even the currently improved Rahane.

[vvvslaxman]

Exactly. The middle order had both Raina and Yuvi' date=' and now one person is gone. Still, that prob leaves Raina, Dhobi and Jaddu in the middle order. Of them, Dhobi bats well in ODIs, [b']but he is not the best player of bounce, and the other 2 have more serious deficiencies. Our No.4 should be technically adept - Pujara preferably, or even the currently improved Rahane.

No. he is. His problem is full outside the off with slips. You won't have that in ODIs

[Vijy]

No. he is. His problem is full outside the off with slips. You won't have that in ODIs

Sorry, I meant to say that he isn't the best player of swing, and I was thinking of Jaddu and Raina and wrote bounce instead. Full-pitched deliveries outside off stump tempt Dhobi into playing near-identical shots.