Cricket News

‘It’s not his cup of tea’ – Indian cricketer feels Cheteshwar Pujara doesn’t want to play Indian T20 League anymore

Pujara scored his fastest hundred against Bangladesh on Day 3 of first Test.

Dec 17, 2022 4:50 pm

Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara ended his century drought against Bangladesh on Friday as he scored a magnificent 102 on Day 3 of the first Test. Surprisingly, Pujara reached the landmark in just 130 balls which was also his fastest-ever hundred. Seeing Pujara bat aggressively fans and experts got talking about the batter’s ability to score quickly, especially in reference to the fact that the Indian T20 League 2023 auction is only a few days away. However, veteran India wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik doesn’t feel Pujara is keen on playing in the T20 league.

As a matter of fact, Pujara hasn’t even registered himself for this year’s auction, having last gotten the opportunity to play in the cash-rich league back in 2014. He was later picked up by the Chennai Franchise in the 2021 auction but didn’t get any chance to play. Karthik, in fact, feels Pujara has carved a niche for himself and also said that the veteran batter understands that the Indian T20 League isn’t his cup of tea.

“To be fair, I don’t think he has any keenness on playing in the Indian T20 League. He has tried over a period of time, and he realises that it’s not his cup of tea. He is spending a lot of time during the summer in England, honing his skills and playing his cricket. At this stage of his life, it’s not about trying to prove a point. It’s about where do you enjoy playing, and where do people enjoy the fact that I bat this way. He is very well aware of those answers, and that’s not the Indian T20 League for him,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz.

He has found a niche for himself there: Dinesh Karthik

“That is going out in the summer and playing for England. He enjoys doing that. He takes his family along, and credit to him, as he has found a niche for himself there. That’s what you need to progress as a cricketer. When you realise there’s a battle you can’t win, you need to move on to other battle. And he has gone on to that path,” Karthik added.