'There are times I miss...' - Cheteshwar Pujara opens up on being disregarded for Indian T20 League

Cheteshwar Pujara, the Indian veteran batter, will be back in action for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia and will be seen as the highest threat for the Baggy Greens given the right-handed batter has single-handedly taken the game away from the mighty Australians in numerous occasions in the past. 

However, Pujara opened up on his stint with the Indian team and touched the Indian T20 League, as he claimed that he does miss the competitive tournament at times. Saying that it would always feel nice to be a part of the highly-competitive tournament, Pujara said that playing in country cricket has helped him improve his game. 

For the unversed, Pujara was a part of the Chennai franchise in the 2021 edition and to the dolefulness of the cricketer, the MS Dhoni-led think tank benched him for the entire tournament without giving him a go. While many slammed the franchise for the decision, Pujara was happy to highlight his capability to play in the shorter format as well. 

I didn't feel bad as such: Cheteshwar Pujara

However, Pujara claimed that he does not feel bad for missing out on the Indian T20 League and was happy to be a part of the Test format for a long time. The right-handed batter’s contribution has always been vital for team India’s success when it comes to the longest format of the game and the Indian star would look to replicate the same against Australia as well. 

“Look, (T20) it's a different format altogether. I always felt that I had the potential to play the shorter format. And I've done well whenever I've played in domestic and county cricket in all the formats. It's just not about me, if you look at the IPL, there've been a lot of great players, who, despite doing well in the T20 format, have been unsold,” Pujara was quoted as saying. 

“I didn't feel bad as such, but yes, it's always nice to be a part of the IPL. There are times when I miss the IPL, but currently, I've been playing county cricket, which has helped me immensely. Having the experience of those conditions has helped me improve my game,” he added.