Cheteshwar Pujara led his Saurashtra side to a magnificent win against Karnataka in the semifinal of the Ranji Trophy. He scored an unbeaten 131 in the penultimate game of the season.
During the game, he was caught behind in both the innings, but he refused to walk off. He was branded a cheat by the home crowd. Despite fans hostile reception towards him, he didn’t show any grudges. After the match, as per the reports in Newsable, Karnataka cricketer D Nischal, approaches him for some valuable batting tips.
The veteran could have said no but like a true gentleman, he shared his knowledge with the rival batsman.
“I had decided to approach him after the game. Once the game finished I went to him. It was a fantastic feeling, as we all know whenever a fan meets his idol. It was a superb feeling watching him bat and I want to learn a lot from him,” the 24-year-old Nischal told Newsable.
“It was a fantastic discussion. I am a big fan of Pujara. I have modelled my batting style around him. He is my favourite cricketer. Obviously when you are playing against him, it is a big honour and I wanted to speak to him regarding my game. It was a fantastic discussion about batting and he taught me a lot of things,” conceded the Karnataka lad.
“The most important thing and the only thing which I discussed was the batting defence. We have similar batting styles. Defence is the most important weapon. Pujara is the best defence batsman in the world. He plays very close to the body, the bat won’t go ahead. So, I asked him about that. He told that it takes years of practice and playing a lot of balls. And, also he told me that it comes with playing with soft hands,” he added further.