On Thursday, India batter Cheteshwar Pujara and Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan made their County Championships (Division 2) debuts for Sussex. Sussex’s second game of the tournament is against Derbyshire, and prior to the planned start, Sussex shared a photo of its two international stars from India and Pakistan posing for a picture after obtaining their maiden caps.
“Debut day for these two,” Sussex said alongside a photo of Pujara and Rizwan on their official Twitter account.
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Pujara is in his sixth County Championships appearance, having previously represented Derbyshire, Yorkshire (twice), and Nottinghamshire. Meanwhile, Rizwan is in his first County season.
As soon as Sussex shared the photo, followers in both India and Pakistan reacted:
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Both players were picked to the Sussex starting eleven, which is led by captain Tom Daines. Pujara and Rizwan are scheduled to bat on day two, with Derbyshire preferring to bat.
Both players are nearing the conclusion of their international careers. While Pujara will be looking to score a lot of runs in order to make a Test comeback after being dropped during the South Africa trip, Rizwan has been one of the top wicket-keeper hitters in international cricket over the previous few years.
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With Sussex having lost their first game, head coach Ian Salisbury named both overseas players for the Derbyshire match.
“I am extremely excited to be able to bring in players of Rizwan and Pujara’s quality into the side. Not only are they absolute world-class cricketers that will boost our performances on the pitch, but to have them around the boys and in the dressing room can only be a positive,” said the team’s head coach in a statement.