WTC Final will be played at The Oval on June 7. Ahead of it, Cheteshwar Pujara and Steven Smith would practice together while playing for Sussex, giving them a sneak peek into their preparations.
Cheteshwar Pujara will get a chance to sneak peek into Steven Smith's preparations ahead of the high-profile ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final starting June 7 as the former Australian skipper gears up to play three English county games for Sussex this month. The WTC final between India and Australia will be held at the Oval from June 7-11. For the record, Pujara is leading Sussex in the red ball tournament. The skipper at No. 3, followed by Smith at No. 4, could be one of the most high-profile combinations in Division 2 of the English County Championship.
The three matches that Smith is expected to play for Sussex will be away games against Worcestershire (May 4-7), Leicestershire (May 11-14) and home against Glamorgan (May 18-122) as a part of his preparation for the WTC final and the marquee Ashes battle against England, starting June 16. "We have spoken, but we have played against each other most of the time. It is never for the same team, so having him on the same side will be exciting. I will try to get his thoughts and know him better," Pujara told Sussex Cricket after the recent game against Gloucestershire.
Pujara admitted that playing alongside Smith would be mixed feelings, with whom he would be locked in a tough fight within three weeks of sharing the dressing room. "We will be playing the WTC final, so there will be mixed feelings. We always have good battles, but we are good friends off the field," he added.
Pujara, currently leading the second division batting charts with 332 runs from five innings with two centuries this season, termed Smith a "great influence to have in the team." "I will be looking forward to having him in the dressing room and trying to chat with him, learn from him, see how he prepares because he has a lot of experience [and] the number of runs he has scored in Test cricket. We all look forward to having him here and sharing his experience. He has a lot of knowledge about the game, so it will be nice to have his input," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)