Pujara Urges Young IPL Stars To Build Strong Base

Cricket can make a teenager famous before he has learnt how to handle a bad week.

That is the warning Cheteshwar Pujara has for India’s new crop of young hitters. The former India Test batter has seen both sides of the sport. He knows the applause, the scrutiny, and the lonely work between two innings.

His message is simple. T20 cricket can open the door fast. Staying inside the room needs a stronger game, a calmer head, and many seasons of proof.

Pujara’s warning for young stars

Pujara said young players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre must build a solid base if they want long careers. In plain cricket language, that means technique, discipline, fitness, and the ability to keep learning.

He said fame comes quickly in cricket now. One bold IPL knock can make a player a social media favourite. One clean six over long-on can put a teenager on every cricket show.

But cricket also forgets quickly. Bowlers study video. Analysts spot weak zones. Captains set traps. A batter who looks fresh in April can look exposed by May.

Pujara pointed out that T20 batting also has method. It is not just swinging hard. A player must know which bowler to attack, which over to target, and when to respect conditions.

That is where many young cricketers face the real test. The first season shows talent. The next 5 seasons show whether that talent can survive pressure.

IPL fame needs deeper roots

The IPL has changed Indian cricket’s talent pipeline. A player no longer has to wait years for national attention. A strong domestic run and a fearless IPL season can change everything.

That is good for Indian cricket. Pujara himself accepted that the IPL keeps producing players for the country. Fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami grew in visibility through the league before becoming serious Test performers.

This is the important part. Pujara does not see T20 as the enemy of Test cricket. He sees it as one route into the larger Indian system.

That matters because the old debate has become too lazy. People often say the IPL is hurting red-ball cricket. The truth is more mixed. The league gives young players money, exposure, and pressure. It also gives selectors more names to track.

But the league can also create false certainty. A batter who dominates flat pitches may still struggle when the ball seams. A bowler who nails wide yorkers may still need longer spells in first-class cricket.

For young players, the trick is to take the IPL platform without becoming trapped by it. The league can launch a career. It cannot complete one.

India must remain the bigger dream

Pujara also reminded young players that the India shirt must stay at the centre. He said the IPL is important, but players should also dream of winning trophies for the national team.

That line may sound old-fashioned in a franchise-heavy age. But it cuts to the heart of Indian cricket’s next selection challenge.

Young players now grow up in a system where franchise cricket offers instant rewards. Big auctions, packed grounds, and streaming fame arrive early. International cricket, especially across formats, asks for patience.

India will keep playing major tournaments. The ODI World Cup cycle continues. T20 World Cups come often. Each tournament needs players who can handle pressure beyond club loyalty.

For a young batter, that means more than strike rate. It means batting on slow pitches in Asia, against swing in England, and bounce in Australia. It means adjusting to different roles.

Sometimes India may need 18 off 8 balls. Sometimes it may need 42 off 70. The best players learn both jobs.

Pujara’s own career was built on patience. He made 7,195 Test runs for India, with 19 centuries, mostly by wearing attacks down. He was not India’s flashiest batter. But he was often the one standing when conditions turned ugly.

That gives weight to his advice. He is not asking T20 players to become him. He is asking them to build enough depth to survive when Plan A fails.

Selection should follow performance

Pujara also spoke about the senior versus junior debate in India’s T20 side. His view was balanced. Pick players on performance, he said, not age alone.

If young players are performing and seniors are not improving, selectors should consider change. But if senior players are still delivering, age should not become a reason to remove them.

This is where Indian cricket often gets emotional. Fans either want a clean break or complete loyalty. Selection rooms cannot work like fan clubs.

A good T20 team needs power, skill, experience, and nerve. A 22-year-old can bring fearless hitting. A 35-year-old can still read pressure better than anyone else.

The key word is balance. Pujara wants India to mix youth and experience based on form. That sounds simple, but it is hard in practice.

Every IPL season creates public pressure. A few young players explode. A few established names struggle. The debate begins within days.

Selectors then must ask better questions. Is this form real or just a short burst? Does the player solve a specific team problem? Can he repeat this against better attacks?

That is where India’s depth becomes both a gift and a headache. There are many options. But not every option is ready for international cricket.

Commentary gives Pujara a new view

Pujara is now also working in commentary, including Hindi digital coverage on JioHotstar. He said talking cricket from outside the field needs preparation of a different kind.

As a player, he had little time to explain his thoughts. In commentary, he has to study players, read trends, and make the game simple for viewers.

That shift is useful for fans too. Pujara has spent years inside dressing rooms. Now he watches young, senior, Indian, and overseas players from a wider lens.

He said he studies a player’s style, past record, and recent progress before speaking on air. That matters because good commentary is not just noise between balls. It helps viewers understand why a match is moving.

He also touched on Mumbai Indians, saying their poor run was real but not a crisis. He felt their win over Lucknow showed a comeback path. His advice was clear. Sit together, plan better, and wait for players to return to form.

That is classic IPL logic. A season can turn quickly. One win can settle a dressing room. One senior player finding rhythm can change the mood.

For ordinary fans, Pujara’s message lands beyond cricket. Quick success is tempting, but lasting success asks for boring work. India’s young cricketers will get applause, contracts, and cameras. The ones who last will be those who keep learning after the noise fades.