Rise of Cheteshwar Pujara 3.0?

You only live twice, Mr. Bond." Little did Blofeld know that a few decades later, a cricketer from Saurashtra would counter this very statement to live a third life. The cricketer is Cheteshwar Pujara or specifically Pujara 3.0.

The Birth of Pujara 1.0

Pujara made his name on the Ranji circuit in the early 2000s. Coming from Saurashtra, he tormented the bowlers from his early days and scored double and triple centuries at will.

People already saw him as a successor to 'The Great Wall' Rahul Dravid even before he made his debut for India. The cricketing gods agreed and he made his Test debut, replacing the injured Dravid against Australia in 2010.

His technique was surprisingly bottom-handed and was all about making the bowlers bowl in his area and running his wrists through the ball rather than driving or punching the ball. This technique made him look like an ugly batsman, polar opposite to his 'predecessor' Rahul Dravid, but he churned out the hard runs with sheer grit.

In his debut Test, he hit a fluent 72 in a tense fourth-innings chase in Bangalore. He earned a call-up for India's next assignment in South Africa as well, and became a regular thereafter in Dhoni's Test side with the form of other senior batters fading. He accumulated runs at will, sparing no opposition both at home and away. In the short span of time, he made himself an indispensable member of the Indian Test side.

Fast forward to 2016. It was a change in the era of Indian Test cricket. The baton of captaincy passed from a 'quiet' MS Dhoni to one who wore his heart on his sleeve, Virat Kohli. Kohli wanted his team to show the same aggression and passion that he himself possessed and this put Pujara's game in a conundrum.

While Pujara churned out his runs, he was often blamed for not taking the game forward due to his low strike rate, which seemed to pause the flow of the game. Infamously, Kohli decided that Pujara did not fit into his scheme of things and he was dropped midway through the Test series against West Indies at Gros Islet in 2016.

He got his chance again in the long home-season when India were scheduled to play 13 Tests and he scored heavily during the season. However, discussions about his low strike rate were brought up regularly and it played a big role in him suspecting his own methods and cluttering his mindset. His scores began to dry up.

Virat Kohli was quite critical about Pujara's batting methods at the start of his tenure as captain

In a tightly-contested Test series against South Africa in 2017-18, which India lost 1-2, he failed to replicate his earlier success in the 2013-14 tour of the Rainbow Nation and was dropped from the Test side for India's next assignment in England.

The rise and fall of Pujara 2.0

The Indian team management dropped Pujara for the first Test against England in 2018 at Edgbaston and KL Rahul replaced him at No. 3. However, the experiment failed as India failed to chase an under-par 191 on the last day and lost the first Test. Looking at how KL struggled in the position, the team-management realized the importance of Pujara's occupation of the crease and they brought him back for the next Test.

He announced his return with a gritty knock of 132 at Southampton. The knock put all criticism of his low strike-rate to rest. He went to Australian shores for India's next Test assignment and dominated the series from the first innings.

He stood like a rock throughout the series, scoring centuries in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, when no batter from Australia managed a single century. His knocks helped India achieve their first-ever Test series victory over Australia in 71 years. This was the pinnacle of his career. He was named the Player of the Series for amassing 521 runs against possibly the best bowling attack in the world.

But that century in Sydney in January 2019 would be his last till this date and he struggled for form after that. Cracks began to appear in the 'New Wall' and his consistency in run-scoring went downhill post the series. He had a poor home-season in 2019 and struggled in New Zealand as well.

During India's successful Test campaign against Australia in 2020-21, although Pujara looked solid at the crease and scored some hard runs as well, he was often blamed for not taking the game forward.

He occupied the crease for a long time, but seemed bogged down by the bowling and struggled to rotate the strike. Hence, his dismissal often brought the Australian team into the ascendancy. This pattern followed in the home-series against England as well as in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Southampton.

His run-scoring declined with time and with a fit Hanuma Vihari waiting in the wings, pressure was mounting on him. According to sources, the team management made it clear to him that he would have to have a good series in South Africa, which commenced in December 2021, failing which he would be dropped. But this put more pressure on him, as he managed just one 50-plus score in the series. His technique came under scrutiny as well.

A prolonged stretch of low scores meant that Pujara had to play a significant knock in the Test series against South Africa, which he failed to do

During the match commentary, Sunil Gavaskar highlighted the fact that his feet did not move as much due to his indecision. His feet were rooted to the crease, making him an easy target for the bowlers on bouncy tracks. The time was finally up for Pujara. He was dropped for India's home Test-series against Sri Lanka.

Path to redemption

Cheteshwar Pujara has always looked at Test cricket as his forte. He has always believed himself to be a Test-specialist. At the IPL mega auction in February, he went unsold. For any other player, such a result would have been devastating but for him it did not matter. His goal has always been clear: Rather than playing for franchises in the shortest format, he wanted to earn back his position in the longest format and decided to opt for a county stint with Sussex.

Playing his first game in the LV County Championship 2022, Pujara helped Sussex escape an innings-defeat against Derbyshire. He scored a gritty 201 off 387 deliveries as his team were made to follow-on. Sussex managed to draw the match.

In his second game, he was the only bright spot in Sussex's innings and 34 runs defeat to Worcestershire as he scored his second century of the stint with 109 off 206 deliveries.

In his third game against Durham, he became the 9th batter to have more than 15 first-class double centuries. In reply to Durham's 223, he scored 203 off 334 deliveries and helped Sussex score a match-winning lead of 315. He also went past Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, who had scored 13 first-class double centuries. Of the eight other batters above him on the list, none are active.

Return of Pujara 3.0?

Cheteshwar Pujara responded to his critics in the best way possible in the ongoing county championship. Indian selectors would definitely be paying attention to his batting exploits. The Indian Test batting lineup has looked fragile in recent times, which was also a prime reason for their shocking Test series defeat to South Africa earlier this year.

The Indian Test schedule is packed this year with a one-off postponed Test at Edgbaston to complete the Test series, which India currently lead 2-1. The series will be followed by a visit by Australia, who have looked at their best in Asian conditions in a very long time. India will also be eyeing a chance to win all their remaining matches in the ongoing WTC cycle to reach the final.

The Indian Test side look to be in troubled waters at the moment with their talismanic batter Virat Kohli going through his worst patch as a batter. Rohit Sharma will be under the burden of captaincy, while also being short of runs in recent times. There will also be a cloud of injuries over his head as he will have to play all the matches being an all-format skipper. The middle order is relatively new as well, with Shreyas Iyer replacing Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav waiting on the bench.

At such times, it would be a blessing for the Indian Test team to have Pujara back in their team. His experience will help Rohit Sharma in his captaincy decisions during tough situations in Test matches. Moreover, for a bowler, there is no other frightening sight than seeing him at the crease, blocking deliveries with a straight bat for hours and hours. For a player who has always believed in "Team first, self later", he has done everything in his power to get a third life, and possibly his last, for the team.