Will Pucovski was determined to get 200 after a few digs about the photo of him celebrating his 100
It wasn’t nerves or the inflamed attention he was getting that worried Will Pucovski as he approached another double century. It was something far more intangible.
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Will Pucovski wasn’t nervous as he approached his second straight double-hundred on Monday, but there was something weighing on his mind.
The batting dynamo has become the talk of the cricket world in two matches for Victoria, racking up 457 runs while only being dismissed once to be a lock for the Test squad, and more and more likely to take his place in the team to play India, too.
He started the second day of the Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia on 183 not out, but didn’t sleep nervously, nor did he worry about the inflamed attention he was getting around the country.
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Instead a subtle message from his former skipper, and batting confidante, Cameron White, gave 22-year-old Pucovski something to think about as he neared his epic milestone in Adelaide.
“I was trying to keep my emotions in check because I had a horrendous photo when I made my hundred (on Sunday) so I had to make sure I wasn’t going too nuts to make sure the 200 photo was better,” Pucovski said after play.
“It was actually Cameron White who sent me the photo yesterday – he‘s incapable of giving a compliment without a little backhander.
“He made sure I saw that from every angle, and a few of my mates got stuck into me about it as well. I wasn‘t too happy about that one, but it’s all a bit of a laugh.”
After an exuberatant celebration to mark reaching 100, Pucovski was far more measured celebrating his 200, with a simple helment off, bat and arms raised for the photographers.
But Pucovski also knew he was in rare territory and wasn’t going to let the chance slip.
“You don’t get a chance to make 200 very often, so when you are in that kind of position the inner burning and competitiveness in you that says, you know, it would be pretty cool to get two doubles on the trot,” he said.
“I‘ve been a bit lucky in the last couple of weeks that big runs have come about. Cricket is a tough game where you are going really well and you’re not making runs as well, so you’ve got to cash in when they are going your way.”
Pucosvki has opened the batting for the fist time in his career in Victoria’s two matches, at the behest of new coach Chris Rogers.
The former Test opener saw it as Pucovski’s best chance to get in to the Tets team now, and bump out underperforming incumbent Joe Burns.
“Batting at No.3 (normally), I don‘t really see much of a difference to opening, because half the time you’re in there earlier anyway. I wasn’t that fazed to be honest,” Pucosvki said.
“I wouldn‘t say it’s something I’ve actively wanted to do but when it was proposed to me, it was more of a team balance thing.
“It‘s been good to get some runs opening but I’d also happily shuffle down to three if that was the best thing for the (Victorian) team.”
Originally published as Will Pucovski was determined to get 200 after a few digs about the photo of him celebrating his 100