Sussex captain Cheteshwar Pujara has allayed fears of fatigue in the squad ahead of his side’s gruelling week of travel in the Royal London One-Day Cup, writes Sarthak Sharma. 

The Sharks’ busy week begins with a trip to the Emirates Riverside stadium tomorrow to play Durham, before making the journey to Taunton to take on Somerset at The Cooper Associates County Ground on Friday.

“I think we have a young squad, I’m the one who just has to recover,” said a smiling Pujara after leading his team to victory against Surrey on Sunday.

“The last couple of games have been tough on my body but I’ll focus on my recovery.

“Overall, I think because we have a young squad, and the guys have been working hard on their fitness and pay a lot of importance to recovery as well, we should be fine for the next couple of games.”

The Indian has been in sparkling form in the Royal London One-Day Cup, scoring consecutive hundreds against Warwickshire and Surrey respectively, but believes the collective effort is what can propel the Sharks towards success in the tournament.

“I think it’s a great team. I enjoy the culture around here.

“It’s a young squad that is developing but there’s a lot of talent around here and we have started seeing the results.

“We didn’t win too many games with the red ball but the guys have been working really hard and I think the work ethic of the entire team is really good.

“I’m quite positive that we’ll start seeing results in the future when it comes to red ball cricket but at the moment we are playing very good cricket with the white ball and I hope that we qualify and try to win the Royal London Cup.”

Pujara’s 174 off just 131 balls against Surrey was proof that the 34-year-old is far from just a cricketer reserved for the longer format of the game.

His uncharacteristically flamboyant shot selection in the match suggested he has been working hard on adding to his already impressive repertoire.

“I think I always had that (the big shots),” he confirmed.

“But lately I’ve been working a bit more towards adding a few more shots which always helps me even in the longer format, so that is a change I have made in my batting.

“I have been batting well this season even with the red ball, so you have that confidence when you walk in to play white ball cricket.

“I think it doesn’t swing as much once you’re in so you can still play your shots, be more fearless and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

Sussex fans have found a special place for Pujara in their hearts.

They will once again have their hopes pinned on their inspiring captain as the team makes the long trip up to the northeast to take on Durham tomorrow in the Royal London Cup.