New Delhi: Ahead of India's Test series against Sri Lanka, middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has said that people expect a lot of runs from him, but admitted that it's a difficult task to score big every time.
Pujara, 29, will be a vital cog in the Indian batting line-up. He scored two hundreds against Lanka when the two teams met in a three-Test series in July-August, which Virat Kohli & Co won 3-0.
"Sometimes, people expect a lot out of me because I have the habit of scoring big runs." Pujara told DNA. "The expectation is that I should score a hundred every second or third innings. It is difficult to always fulfil that."
Also read: India vs Sri Lanka 2017 – Full schedule
Continuing his run of good form, the right-handed batsman hit a magnificent double hundred for domestic side Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy match against Jharkhand, then followed it up with 182 against Gujarat. Before that he scored 166 and 256 not out in two Duleep Trophy matches.
"The moment I start scoring big runs, as a batsman, my rhythm comes back and my concentration improves," Pujara said. "Everything looks good. So, it is a perfect start before I head into the Sri Lanka series."
He warmed up for the series in the best possible way, creating records in India. The double hundred against Jharkhand was his 12th double-hundred, a national record.
Besides, he also has the most Test runs in 2016-17. His 1316 runs in 13 matches at an average of 62.66 is good enough to beat Kohli (1252) and Steve Smith (1152) in the second and third places respectively.
He has played 51 Test for India so far, scoring 4107 runs at an average of 52.65 with the help of 13 hundreds.
India will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match Test series, with the series opener starting on November 16 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. It will be followed by a limited-overs series, comprising of three ODIs and three T20Is.
The last time Sri Lanka played Test matches in India was seven years back in 2009, a three-match series that they lost 0-2. Earlier this year, India beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in Tests, followed by clean sweep in ODIs and the lone T20 International.
