Indian National Cricket Team scorer Cheteshwar Pujara supported Virat Kohli Dominating the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Cheteshwar Pujara feels that Virat Kohli is aware of the expectations of Team India and the fans and he will try to live up to it in the Test. series against Australia National Cricket Team.
Virat Kohli shone against Australia in Test cricket
Indian National Cricket Team superstar Virat Kohli shined against Australian National Cricket Team in Test cricket both home and away.
He has struggled to get going with the bat of late, but would certainly be confident of his past heroics Down Under. Kohli has been training hard in Perth ahead of the first Test and the team management is confident that the batsman will perform well this time as well.
In 25 Tests against Australia, Kohli scored 2042 runs at an average of 47.48 with 8 tons and 5 fifties. Also, on Australian soil, he played 13 Tests and scored 1352 runs at an amazing average of 54.08 to go with 6 tons and 4 fifties.
He knows what is expected of him and how many runs he has to score – Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara, who played a key role with the bat in India’s previous two tours to Australia, will not be with the team for BGT 2024-25 and Virat Kohli will have the added responsibility on his shoulders to bat around the youngsters.
Pujara said Virat Kohli has a much-needed break and he will be ready to compete against the Australians. He added that Kohli has been the leader of the pack and is the best batsman in the team.
“There’s a lot of expectation on him. The number of matches he’s played and the athlete Virat is, he doesn’t get enough rest in between. So sometimes when you don’t get enough rest, your body and your confidence goes down. You go down a bit, that’s normal,” Pujara said in the Star Sports press room. .
“He has a bit of a break. He is where he loves to race. If someone goes at him, he wants to give it back to the bowlers – that’s how he started his journey. He set high standards for himself. He has this consciousness. He has been the leader and is probably the best on the circuit. He knows what is expected of him and how many runs he has to make.”
I am sure that after he leaves… – Cheteshwar Pujara
Modern-day great Cheteshwar Pujara later expressed his belief that Virat Kohli can perform well after his departure.
Pujara emphasized the importance of getting off to good starts and said Kohli would have a great series.
“I’m sure he’ll have to spend some time in the game after he’s gone. He is omnipotent. It’s always about getting ahead, getting 50-60-70. If he gets a hundred, then a great series awaits him,” Pujara said about Kohli.
“In every match, no matter the format, he is motivated. He certainly worked on it. It’s about getting that start and spending time at the crease,” he said.
