Recovering Pujara confident of finding good form again

When Cheteshwar Pujara landed in South Africa for the Indian Premier League this year,he had a spring in his stride....

When Cheteshwar Pujara landed in South Africa for the Indian Premier League this year,he had a spring in his stride. Top-scoring in Kolkata Knight Riderss practice game against Eagles at Bloemfontein meant that one of domestic crickets top performers was ready to make an impact in the high-profile T20 event too.

But in a sudden twist of fate that saw him suffer a freak knee injury,he returned home in crutches,blowing his chance of being part of the cricket carnival. Pujara hasn’t played a competitive game since April as injury,surgery and rehabilitation have tested his patience to the hilt.

As Saurashtra open their Ranji Trophy campaign on Tuesday against UP,the match might end Pujaras longest break from cricket since the time he was an eight-year-old. He has been included in the squad,but as Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Shah says,We will take a final call on him in the coming days. Chances are he will play on Tuesday.

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But the present optimism of those around Pujara is in contrast to the uncertainty of the last six months where the 21-year-old had been on an emotional roller-coaster. In the seas of fear,frustration and outright boredom,hope found it tough to float at times.

Recalling that traumatic moment of injury,Pujara drops his voice. It was an internal KKR game and I was fielding at mid-on. I went for a catch but as it suddenly dropped,I had to change direction. That’s when the spike got stuck in the soft ground and my knee twisted. Even those in the stands could have heard me crying in pain. At that moment,I even thought that my career was over, he says.

The graft in the knee had snapped and surgery was inevitable,but the doctor in South Africa said it was a common injury. Pujara thanks the KKR management for standing by him. They insisted that I have surgery in South Africa and get the best medical attention, he said. Even after returning home,KKR physio Andrew Leipus flew to Rajkot to examine him and has been in touch since then.

The rehab didnt just make the youngster aware of the fickleness of fame but also about the importance of having a strong will. I am used to sweating it out in the gym but here I was confined to doing just a few stretches. That was tough, he said.

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From stretching,he moved to walking,jogging,running and finally taking the bat in hand. But my first session got me back the confidence. Now once I play a game,it all will be the same again, he says.