Pujara Urges Young IPL Batters to Build Strong Basics

Cricket can make a teenager famous before he has learnt how to be famous.

That is the sharp little warning inside Cheteshwar Pujara’s advice to India’s next batch of young batters. The former India Test No. 3 knows both sides of the game. He has faced bouncers in Australia, silence after low scores, and the slow grind of proving yourself again.

Pujara’s basic stat line still says plenty: 103 Tests, 7,195 runs, 19 hundreds. So when he talks about patience, fame, and selection, it is not theory. It comes from a career built brick by brick.

Young stars need stronger roots

The IPL keeps throwing up new names every season. A few good overs, one clean six, or a fearless cameo can turn a young player into a household name.

Pujara says that is exactly why the foundation matters. Players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre cannot only rely on talent or early applause. They need a method that survives pressure.

His point is simple. T20 batting also has technique. It is not just about swinging hard. Bowlers now study old videos, find weak areas, and build plans.

That means a batter’s first season is only the trailer. The real test comes when opponents know his scoring zones, his trigger movements, and his nervous habits.

Pujara said instant popularity arrives quickly in cricket. But keeping that reputation takes consistency. If Vaibhav can keep performing across the next 5 seasons, Pujara believes he can move from promising to truly special.

For young players, that is the hard part. One IPL season can change bank balances and social media followings. But cricket careers still depend on boring things, practice, fitness, shot selection, and repeat performances.

India dreams beyond franchise cricket

Pujara did not dismiss the IPL’s value. Far from it. He sees it as a serious nursery for Indian cricket.

But he also made a larger point. Young players should not stop at becoming franchise stars. They should dream of winning trophies for India.

That matters in the current cricket economy. The IPL gives players money, visibility, and a fierce standard of competition. Yet the India cap still carries a different weight.

Pujara said young cricketers must stay updated and keep aiming for the national side. The next ODI World Cup and the regular T20 World Cups should sit in their minds.

This is not old-school romance alone. It is also practical career advice. A player who succeeds only in one format can get boxed in quickly. A player who expands his game gives selectors more reasons to stay interested.

For a teenager entering elite cricket, that difference can be huge. Franchise cricket rewards impact. International cricket demands adaptability. The best players learn both languages.

Pujara’s own career grew in the opposite direction. He became India’s wall of patience in Test cricket. Yet his respect for the IPL shows how much the game has changed.

Selection should follow performance

The trickiest part of Pujara’s comments came on team selection. Should seniors keep getting chances in T20 squads when younger players are rising quickly?

His answer was measured. Pick players on performance, he said. Do not drop seniors only because they are older. Do not block youngsters if they are clearly doing better.

That sounds obvious, but Indian cricket rarely finds it easy. Reputation, fan pressure, dressing-room balance, and future planning all sit on the selection table.

Pujara’s view gives selectors a workable rule. If an experienced player is performing well, age alone should not push him out. If form has dropped and there is no clear recovery, India must look at options.

This is where the IPL becomes useful. It places young Indian players under pressure in front of huge crowds. Tight finishes test temperament better than any net session.

Pujara said the 10-team tournament has made the competition sharper. Each squad now carries more Indian players. That gives more youngsters a real chance to play big moments.

In earlier years, the same few teams often looked like natural top-four picks. Now the league feels more open. That uncertainty helps Indian cricket because pressure travels through the tournament.

A young player who handles a final over in April may later handle a tougher night in India colours. That is how selectors often find nerve, not just numbers.

IPL and Test cricket can coexist

Pujara also pushed back against the lazy argument that the IPL has damaged Test cricket. He said one cannot make that claim so directly.

His examples are strong. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami all grew through the IPL route before becoming major Test performers for India.

That is the part many critics miss. T20 cricket can sharpen skills that travel well. Fast bowlers learn yorkers, slower balls, and death-over pressure. Batters learn scoring options against high pace and spin.

Of course, Test cricket still asks different questions. Can you leave the ball for an hour? Can you bowl a long spell on a flat pitch? Can you bat when there is no instant reward?

Pujara built his name on those answers. So his defence of the IPL carries more weight. He is not selling flash over substance. He is saying modern players need both.

He now studies players from the commentary box on JioHotstar’s Championswali Commentary feed. He said that role has forced him to examine young, senior, Indian, and overseas players more closely.

On the field, he had little time to speak. Off the field, analysis demands preparation. He studies how players have performed earlier, how they play now, and what has changed.

That is useful for viewers too. The modern fan wants more than loud reactions. They want to know why a batter struggles against a certain angle, or why a bowler changes his field.

Mumbai need calm, not panic

Pujara also spoke about Mumbai Indians, whose uneven form has worried their supporters.

He accepted that their performances have dipped. But he did not call it a crisis. Mumbai’s strong win over Lucknow showed they still have enough quality to recover.

His advice was old dressing-room common sense. Sit together, plan properly, and get the whole group aligned.

In a long IPL season, form can shift quickly. A batter who looks lost for 3 matches can win the fourth. A bowler who misses yorkers one night can nail them the next.

Pujara said once Mumbai’s players find rhythm, stopping them will be difficult. That line will comfort fans, but it also carries a warning. Talent alone does not fix a campaign. Clarity does.

That applies to young players as much as big franchises. Cricket now gives fame faster than ever. It also finds flaws faster than ever. For ordinary fans, the lesson is worth remembering. The next Indian star may arrive in one electric IPL evening, but he will become a real cricketer only through the seasons that follow.