Pujara Wants India Players To Participate In Domestic Cricket: 'It Raises Standard Of...'

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-08-31 10:38:55 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-25 03:06:39

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Indian Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara, who is currently playing for Saurashtra in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, has thrown his weight behind BCCI's decision to mandate India players to play in the domestic circuit when not on international duties.

The veteran batsman, who led Saurashtra to their maiden title win last season, believes that the move will raise the standard of domestic cricket while giving more opportunities to emerging players to learn from the best.

"Any player, when he plays with India players, the standard of their game improves. They also get an opportunity to learn from India players, interact with them and even ask them about their routines and what not. So, I feel it is a great decision by BCCI," Pujara said ahead of the match against Maharashtra in Rajkot.

"When I started playing Ranji Trophy, I used to play with seniors like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, and they used to play for their respective states. So, as a youngster, you learn a lot by just interacting with them," he added.

The 34-year-old Pujara, who has scored 70+ totals in the last three Tests in Australia, also spoke about the importance of getting enough game time before international tournaments like the IPL and T20 World Cup, which will hopefully see the return of overseas players to the IPL.

"When you play IPL, you play T20 format, so it is different. Before the T20 World Cup, if you have played five-six games, you know your rhythm is going. But when it comes to Test cricket, when you are playing a longer format, it is important to play more games. So, I feel that the more you play for your state, the more experience you gain," he said.

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