Pujara Urges Young Batters To Build A Strong Base

A teenager can become a household name in one IPL week. The harder part starts the next morning.

That, in simple terms, is Cheteshwar Pujara’s warning to India’s newest cricket hopefuls. Fame comes fast now. Bowlers also come faster with plans, data, and old footage.

Pujara knows the other route well. His India career was built over 103 Tests, 7,195 runs, 19 hundreds, and long afternoons of hard batting. So when he talks about patience, it is not nostalgia. It is work experience.

Pujara’s warning for young stars

Pujara believes young players must build a strong base before chasing a long career. He named Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre while speaking about India’s new generation.

His point was plain. T20 cricket rewards fearless hitting, but even T20 needs method. A batter cannot survive only on hand-eye skill once teams study him.

That study has become brutal now. Coaches can pull up old clips, freeze weak areas, and plan dismissals. A flashy shot that wins applause today can become a trap tomorrow.

Pujara said popularity arrives quickly in cricket. But holding on to that reputation takes repeated performance. That is the line which separates a good season from a serious career.

He made a useful point about Suryavanshi. The youngster has already shown quality over recent seasons. But if he keeps that level for 5 more years, the story changes completely.

That is when talent becomes trust. Selectors, captains, sponsors, and fans all start seeing the player differently.

IPL fame needs deeper roots

The IPL has changed Indian cricket’s ladder. Earlier, domestic cricket did most of the testing. Now, a teenager can face international bowlers in front of millions.

That is wonderful for Indian cricket. It is also dangerous for young minds. A player can earn fame before he has built habits.

Pujara’s advice cuts through the noise. He wants young players to keep improving, keep updating their game, and keep dreaming beyond franchise cricket.

That last part matters. The IPL is powerful, rich, and exciting. But Pujara said young players must also aim to win trophies for India.

The next ODI World Cup and regular T20 World Cups give this generation a clear target. Franchise success can open the door. India duty decides the legacy.

For a young batter, this means learning different tempos. Some nights demand 30 off 12 balls. Some days demand 70 off 110 balls on a slow pitch.

For a young bowler, it means more than yorkers and slower balls. He must bowl with a red ball, defend with a wet ball, and handle a poor over.

That is why Pujara keeps returning to foundations. In Indian cricket, the shortcut often looks tempting. The long road still builds the player.

Selection cannot be only age

Pujara also touched a sensitive question. Should India’s T20 side keep senior players when younger options are rising fast?

His answer was balanced. He said selection should rest on performance. If young players do well and seniors lose form, selectors must consider change.

But he also warned against removing experienced players only because of age. If a senior player still performs, age alone should not become a reason to drop him.

That is a mature cricketing view. Indian cricket often swings between two extremes. We either worship experience or rush to replace it.

The better answer usually sits in the middle. A strong T20 team needs young legs, sharp fielding, calm heads, and players who know tournament pressure.

This is where the selection room gets tricky. A 21-year-old may dominate the IPL. A 35-year-old may know how to handle a World Cup semi-final.

The selectors must decide which quality matters more for a particular role. They also need honesty about form, not sentiment.

Pujara’s larger argument is useful here. Teams should not pick names. They should pick roles, skills, and current performance.

Commentary gives Pujara another angle

Pujara has also moved into commentary with JioHotstar’s Hindi digital feed, Championswali Commentary. It puts former IPL winners and experienced players around live matches.

For someone known as a quiet figure on the field, commentary is a new kind of test. Pujara admitted that playing gives little time to speak. Broadcasting demands constant reading of the game.

He said talking cricket itself is not difficult for him. The tougher part is studying players in detail before speaking about them.

That includes young Indian players, overseas stars, and senior campaigners. He looks at how they play, how they have changed, and where they stand now.

This is important because modern commentary cannot survive on old stories alone. Viewers already see highlights, data, and clips on their phones.

A good commentator must explain why something happened. Why did a batter get stuck? Why did a captain hold back a bowler? Why did a field change matter?

Pujara’s playing career gives him one strength here. He understands the lonely work behind small technical adjustments. That helps when young players are praised too quickly or dismissed too harshly.

Test cricket still has IPL benefits

The old complaint returns every season. Has the IPL hurt Test cricket? Pujara does not accept that simple reading.

He pointed out that India found important Test players through the IPL route. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami became major red-ball forces after first gaining wider attention in white-ball cricket.

That is a fair reminder. T20 does not automatically weaken Test cricket. Poor coaching, weak red-ball planning, and bad workload management do that.

The IPL also exposes young Indian players to pressure. Pujara said the 10-team format has made the competition tighter. More close matches mean more pressure situations.

That pressure can harden young players early. A bowler defending 12 in the final over learns things no net session can teach.

Pujara also spoke about Mumbai Indians, who have had a shaky run. He said their poor form is real, but not yet a crisis.

He pointed to their strong win over Lucknow as a sign of recovery. His view was that the players must sit together, plan clearly, and wait for form to return.

That is classic Pujara thinking. No panic. No drama. Fix the basics, understand the moment, and trust skill.

For ordinary fans, the message is simple. Enjoy the sixes, the auctions, and the instant stars. But judge young cricketers over seasons, not screenshots. Indian cricket’s next great player may arrive in one IPL night, but he will be made in the years after it.