No technical flaws in my game: Pujara

India A skipper Cheteshwar Pujara today asserted that there were no technical flaws in his game and his County stint with Yorkshire has actually prepared him mentally for the demands of the modern-day cricket.

Pujara lost his place in the playing XI after a poor showing in the England and Australia Test series, and has been struggling to regain his spot ever since. Pujara headed to play county cricket in England as his contemporaries slugged it out in the Indian Premier League. “The conditions there were challenging and you had to be technically correct to score runs”.

He said, “I don’t worry about my competitors in the side”. Hopefully, the India A series will help me get in touch with the game and it goes on well. “It’s just a matter of time (before the runs start to flow) and I just need to keep working hard”, Pujara mentioned.

“Plus, I was always used to doing things independently even back home, like driving my own vehicle, so it was an aspect of life that allowed me the space to be the individual you are, unlike during the IPL where you may not always do that because you are in a new city every second day, taking flights, shuttling buses and all that”. There is nothing wrong with my technique and I just need to stick to what I know. But when you haven’t been successful, you tend to work a little harder and you know the areas you need to work on.

Pujara is confident that he will be able to score in the new assignment. He last played first-class cricket in March when Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy. I want to score runs and help the team succeed. Here I have the added responsibility of leading the team, guiding them, especially the younger ones.

“A player like Pujara will find the way, he has got the desire, the hunger, he is looking to get better, he has got the technique, and he is keen to improve”. That is what I look to do.

Out-of-favour legspinner Amit Mishra feels that tips given by India A coach Rahul Dravid, from a batsman’s perspective, went a long way in helping him improve as a bowler. This is a great opportunity for me to make the most use of it.

‘Dravid is one of the best mentors’.

Usually India “A” travel to Australia for the Emerging Players tournament, however in a change from routine, the two teams from the Southern Hemisphere will be visiting the sub-continent. While Pujara chose not to divulge on the minor adjustments he has made in the last few months, he spent considerable amount of time at the nets with India “A” coach Rahul Dravid on Tuesday morning. “That is one aspect I really liked. All the players are enjoying in Rahul’s company and coaching”.

Out of the 15-member squad, seven players have already represented the senior team and they are now staking their claim after a slump.