Cheteshwar Pujara, who had a tremendous influence in his maiden season with the club this year, will return to Sussex in 2023.
According to the report of Espncrinfo he said “I am glad to be back with Sussex for the 2023 season,” Pujara said in a statement released by the club. “I thoroughly enjoyed my last stint with the club last season, both on and off the field and I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s growth and success in the coming year.”
After stints with Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire, Pujara made Sussex his fourth county. For them in various formats, he scored eight hundreds, including three doubles. With an overall total of 1094 runs at 109.4 over the course of 13 innings in Division Two of the County Championship, he was their top scorer. In the 50-over Royal London Cup, he finished second with three hundreds as Sussex advanced to the semifinals. He filled in as captain as well.
Pujara’s participation in India’s Test squad and, presumably, the IPL, will determine his availability. Sussex did not specify in their statement which forms or how long Pujara would play. Later, the club made it clear that they anticipate him to represent them in both 50-over and Championship cricket, adding that he will come in time for the season to begin.
Keith Greenfield performance director Sussex
Pujara, who led India in scoring with 66 in their most recent Test match against England in July, is still a crucial component of their ambitions for the format. Although they have few Test matches scheduled for 2023, they will travel to the West Indies for a two-match series in July and August.
He hasn’t participated in an IPL match since 2014, but he was a member of the Chennai Super Kings team in 2021. If he were to be selected in the December auction, he would miss the first two months of the county season.
Director of Performance at Sussex, Keith Greenfield, said: “The announcement that Cheteshwar will return in 2023 is wonderful. We all witnessed his professionalism with the bat and his performances, but he also distinguished himself as a top-notch role model for the players in our youthful dressing room.”
Following Ian Salisbury’s departure at the conclusion of the 2022 season, Sussex is in the process of hiring a new head coach. Throughout Salisbury’s tenure, James Kirtley served as the T20 coach, but beginning in 2023, the team will have a single head coach again.