"I don't think he has any keenness to play in the IPL" - Dinesh Karthik on Cheteshwar Pujara

Dinesh Karthik believes that Team India's Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara would prefer to play county cricket in England over taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Karthik opined that Pujara seems to have understood that he may not be an ideal fit for the cash-rich league. He claimed that the right-handed batter's priority is upping his game by playing in England to perform well in the longer format.

Karthik explained:

"I don't think he has any keenness to play in the IPL. He's tried it over a period of time, and he realizes that maybe that's not his cup of tea. He's spent a lot more time in England over the summer, honing his skills and playing cricket there.

"At the stage that he is in, it's not about trying to prove a point to anyone. When you realize that there is a battle that you can't win, you need to move on to another battle, and he's gone down that path."

After going unsold at the IPL 2022 auction, Pujara joined Sussex for the County Championship. The seasoned campaigner finished as the leading run-getter for his team, mustering 1094 runs in 13 innings.

He continued his stellar form in the Royal London One Day Cup as well, amassing 624 runs at an average of 89.19. It is worth mentioning that Pujara has decided to skip the upcoming IPL mini-auction and won't be up for grabs at the event.

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"Should calm him down a lot" - Dinesh Karthik on Cheteshwar Pujara's century in first Test between India and Bangladesh

Cheteshwar Pujara ended his Test century drought on Day 3 (Friday, December 16) of the ongoing first Test between India and Bangladesh.

After being dismissed for 90 in the first innings, the batter was finally able to get the monkey off his back, crossing the 100-run mark in the second essay. He remained unbeaten on 102 as India set a 513-run target for Bangladesh.

Speaking of Pujara hitting a Test ton after 1443 days, Karthik mentioned that the veteran batter would be very relieved to have finally scored a century. The 37-year-old credited the player's stint with Sussex as the reason for his new-found confidence after his fastest Test ton.

Karthik explained:

"We are all used to seeing him bat at a certain tempo, which is not very high in terms of strike rate. He's generally known to absorb pressure by blocking out a lot of balls. It's good to see him come out and do what he's done.

"A lot of this comes from the confidence he's gained while playing for Sussex. He was able to get the hundred that had eluded him for some time. That should calm him down a lot before the big series that is coming up."

India have gained the upper hand in the opening Test thanks to centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill. Bangladesh are 42/0 at stumps on Day 3 and still need 471 more runs to win.