Cheteshwar Pujara: I don't watch IPL on TV

Despite finishing the home Test season with a rich haul of 1316 runs at 62.66, including four hundreds, Pujara didn’t find a buyer at the IPL auction. But that did little to hamper his determination and Pujara continues to play English county cricket. However, he admitted that he seldom follows the IPL on television and rather, spends his evenings with friends and family.

"It's either practice or fitness training almost the entire day and it can't be cricket 24 hours," Pujara told the New Indian Express. "The switch-off happens in the evenings when I'm with family or friends. That's why I don't watch IPL on TV, not because I'm not part of it. I watch occasionally, mostly if someone else is watching."

Although the Saurashtra batsman did fairly well in Tests, he failed to convert the starts into triple digits, and more often than not, threw his wicket away. He crossed 70 four times among his eight fifties, including a dismissal on 92. Pujara seemed to regret this.

"It's fantastic to have contributed to the team's success, but I thought I gave away my wicket too many times. There were starts that I couldn't convert. I've to improve in this area. I'm known to get big hundreds and have got them since my junior days."

While Pujara earned INR 4.25 crores in the period from October 2016 to September 2017, limited-over specialists like Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, and Suresh Raina earned more than him in two months of IPL. But Pujara is not concerned about that. 

"Many wanted India to win, the Australia series was tough," he said. "To have done well in those matches and gained the respect of teammates and oppositions brings about a satisfaction that can't be matched. The feeling that comes from performing when the team needs you to can't be compared. I don't want to talk about how much others are earning or doing. What I've earned is precious to me."