Steve Pujara? New nickname for Test star

Being christened with a nickname is a rite of passage, and term of endearment, for a new recruit at just about any cricket club.

The roots of these monikers are often obvious (think 'Gilly' for Adam Gilchrist, 'Warney' or the 'King of Spin' for Shane Warne) and sometimes mildly creative ('Tugga' for Steve Waugh as wordplay on 'tug-o-war', 'Dizzy' for Jason Gillespie as a nod to the jazz musician).

When star Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara recently failed to disclose a suitable nickname to his new teammates at Yorkshire, paceman Jack Brooks took it upon himself to give him one.

And considering the chosen title of 'Steve' doesn't fit into either of the above categories, Pujara was, understandably, a touch baffled.

"Well I would prefer Cheteshwar, but it's difficult to pronounce so the guys have come up with Steve," he told ESPN. 

"But personally, I would prefer Cheteshwar. 

"Jack Brooks started off with this. He couldn't pronounce my first name so he was asking me what nickname do I have. I said I don't have any. 

"So they said, 'we will start calling you Steve'.

"Initially, they started calling me 'Puj', but they have started calling me Steve again. It's a good nickname, but I prefer Cheteshwar."

Whatever they call him, Pujara will be hoping he can replicate the feats that have elevated him into the upper echelon of Test batsmen in recent years.

Second only to Australian Steve Smith among the world's leading Test run-scorers in 2017, Pujara returns to Yorkshire (who he played four games for in 2015) for his fourth County Championship stint having also had spells with Derbyshire (in 2014) and Nottinghamshire (2017).

With India set for a five-Test series against England later this year, the right-hander said he's looking to the challenge of batting on bowler-friendly pitches in the early part of the northern summer. 

"At the start of the season, I think the wickets will be challenging," Pujara told Yorkshire's official website. "So it's about spending a lot of time at the crease and scoring as many runs as possible.

"As a team, it's always important to start off well. You can then carry that momentum on. It is always challenging as a batsman to play in England, but it's something I look forward to.

"You don't just want to play on flat wickets. You want to score runs on challenging pitches. When you do that, you are more confident and satisfied.

"Sometimes you can score a fifty and it is really helpful for the team.

"When I scored a fifty in South Africa in the third Test match (on a challenging wicket in Johannesburg earlier this year) … It was as satisfying as scoring a double hundred against any team.

"I took about 54 balls to get off the mark, and it was one of the toughest wickets I've ever played on.

"Any time you play on challenging pitches, you obviously need the temperament and concentration to stay focused for hours and hours."

Yorkshire, comfortably England's most successful county in Championship history, will be able to call on four of the world's top 13 Test batsmen, and three of the top seven, at different stages of the season.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (fourth on the International Cricket Council's Test batting charts) will replace Pujara (seventh) halfway through the season, while England skipper Joe Root (third) and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow (13th) will also be available next month ahead of the Test season.

Towering Australia quick Billy Stanlake is also set to the join Yorkshire for the T20 Blast later in the northern summer.

The Leeds-based club kick off their season on Friday against Essex at Headingley.