India vs New Zealand: Cheteshwar Pujara on captain Rahane's form; 'Just one innings away'

Cheteshwar Pujara has been handed the vice-captaincy of the Indian Test squad, as Ajinkya Rahane takes up the captain's role in the first Test match of the three-match series in the absence of skipper Virat Kohli. While Kohli is set to join the squad from the second Test match, it will be the responsibility of Rahane and Pujara to lead India to a good start of the series, during the first Test at the Green Park in Kanpur.

Meanwhile, ahead of the start of the first Test match, Pujara has expressed his views on skipper Rahane's batting form by saying he hopes Rahane will score some big knocks during the series.

Speaking at the virtual media interaction on Tuesday, Pujara praised Rahane for being a great player and mentioned that every player has ups and downs in his career. Explaining his thoughts on the skipper, Pujara said, "Rahane is a great player, there are times when a player goes through a tough time and that’s a part of this game. There can be ups and downs but I feel he is a confident player. He is someone who works hard on his game and I am sure he is just one innings away from gaining back the form."

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Test cricket is back! Looking forward to the upcoming series, which I expect to be a great contest. Do keep supporting the team 🙏 🇮🇳 #IndVsNz #Test #cricketonkoo

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- Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwarpujara) 23 Nov 2021

Rahane managed to score only 109 runs in a total of four Test matches, during India's tour of England, earlier this year. At the same time, Pujara returned from England having amassed a total of 227 runs, which included a knock of 91 runs at Leeds and 61 runs at the Oval.

Cheteshwar Pujara on his role as the vice-captain

Pujara also expressed his mindset ahead of the New Zealand series by admitting that the England Test series was different to this. Explaining the same at the virtual press conference, he said, "There was not much change in technique (in England). So far preparations for the New Zealand series has been good and I’ll look to carry that same fearless mindset against the Kiwis as well."

He also addressed the fact that he hasn't scored a century in recent times. On that, Pujara said, "I have been contributing with 50-60 runs. As long as I play well, I am not worried. It will come."

The Indian batter then spoke about his vice-captaincy responsibility, admitting that the added burden can be good and could be favourable sometimes. He said, "It can work in your favour. The ultimate focus will be on the India team not me. The good thing is I was part of IPL team and could practice and train."

Meanwhile, Pujara took to his official Koo account on Tuesday and posted a video of him talking about the upcoming Test series. He spoke about the preparations by the Indian team in the video.

(Image: AP)