There will always be a place for player like Cheteshwar Pujara: Rahul Dravid praises India's Test no. 3
Batting great Rahul Dravid heaped praise on India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara and said his technique will always contribute to the team. Pujara has often being compared to Dravid as after the later hung his boots, the Saurashtra batsman cemented his place in India's Test squad at No. 3.
Dravid feels that Pujara has a solid mindset and the 32-year-old understood early that he had to make every inning count to make a name for himself.
"Coming from a place like Saurashtra it was drilled into his head early on that he needed to do much more than other players. So he had to make every inning count and that's the way he has built his batting," Dravid said on ESPNCricinfo's Videocast with former India player Sanjay Manjrekar.
Dravid further hailed Pujara's ability to play against spin and his strike rotation ability. (Also Read | Rahul Dravid calls Virat Kohli a 'great role model' for India's young cricketers)
"He has got a range of shots and he knows that. He is exceptional against spin, he rotates strikes well. Pujara has worked out his game phenomenally well. His concentration is excellent.
"There will always be a place for a person like Pujara because his technique will always contribute to the winning of a game," he added.
Talking about the vigours of today's game, Dravid said while the T20 format has its challenges, Tests remain the toughest trial of a player's ability to handle pressure.
"... if you're talking about pressure as a whole, the fact is that you have to play for five days in a Test Match. There is no running away from that.
"In any other format you can get away, but in a Test Match you go out and bat, then you watch you team bat then you watch the opposition bat and you have a lot of time to think. So I think pressure in a Test match is at a different level," he explained.
