Express Interview with Cheteshwar Pujara: – Indian batsmen have to play late, cut out few shots but turnaround time between IPL and Tests not ideal

Cheteshwar Pujara knows the art of batting in England. In the last three seasons for Sussex county, he scored 2334 runs with 10 hundreds and four fifties. He also knows the pitfalls of England as he averages 43.97 in Tests against England, but which comes down to 31 in 14 Tests in England. That was due to his first Test season in 2014, where he averaged 22.00 in five Tests. Pujara, who is now in England as commentator, explains the challenges and mental skills needed to succeed in England.

- GNS News Agency, June 27

What is that one thing that should be at the top of your mind when batting in England?

It is a mental battle here, so one needs to stay positive. Since the conditions are challenging, only if you are confident you can do well in England. It is very easy to get into a negative mindset here. For someone who has already played in England, it is slightly easier because they know how to tackle such conditions but for a young player, the biggest challenge is to get acclimatized. You are bound to fail in those challenging conditions. If you stay positive you will see results maybe in the second or the third test match.

This was the mental part, what about the technique tweak?

One needs to know your strengths and what shots you can play in these conditions. For example, if someone is very good at driving, you can’t drive the ball when the ball is new. You have to wait for the right time to drive the ball. One needs to respect the conditions and maybe cut down on a few of your shots. When the time is right, when you feel that you are set and the ball is also old, that’s when you start playing shots. Even when you are doing your preparation, you have to keep in mind that these are the shots which I'll play when I'm set and these are the shots I need to avoid in the early part of my innings.They say in England you need to play late, keep your eyes on the ball all the time...So when you are looking to play late, you allow the ball to come at you. You make an impact slightly later than what you normally do on a slower pitch. So you are allowing the ball to come to you and then you're playing close to the body. Even if you're defending or if you're looking to drive the ball, you allow the ball to come close to your body and then make the decision of either defending it or driving it.

If you wait for the ball, how do you get the power for it?