The rain and cold of near-Autumnal England is a far cry from the 40-degree summer heat of India. The green, seamer-friendly wickets bear no resemblance to the road-like surfaces batsman frequently enjoy back home.
But try telling Cheteshwar Pujara they were valid reasons not to re-join Nottinghamshire for the culmination of the Specsavers County Championship season.
As one of the world’s best red-ball batsman – he averages over 57 in first-class cricket and is ranked number four by the ICC, above superstar Virat Kohli – it would have been easy for the 29-year-old to stay at home and protect those superb figures.
Instead, though, the composed right-hander, 29, was delighted to return to Trent Bridge and build on his four-game spell with the county in May and June because he ‘likes a challenge’, and already feels very much at home in the dressing room.
With two games left until the end of the Championship season against Northamptonshire tomorrow (10.30am start) and then Sussex to finish, Pujara is thoroughly enjoying himself.
“It was an easy decision to come back for the second spell because it’s an environment I want to be part of,” says Pujara. “The way the team has played this season across all formats has been fantastic and we are seeing the results from that.
“I have come as an overseas player but I’ve felt quite comfortable straight away.”
“The best part about playing for Notts has been to be in the dressing room, which is a terrific place to be under someone like Peter Moores, who is looking after all the guys.
“I have come as an overseas player but I’ve felt quite comfortable straight away, which is down to that atmosphere and how the success starts. Once you feel a part of it, you settle down to work hard and then the results follow.
“For me, it’s not just about coming here to perform as an overseas player, but it’s important to fit in with the rest of the players, get to know their lifestyle and how they prepare, as well as sharing how I go about things, having played 50-odd Test matches.”
Pujara scored 112 in an early-season knock against Gloucestershire at Trent Bridge and also 67 in the return match at Bristol in his first spell with the Club.
He has been disappointed not to register at least a half-century yet in this current stint, making 18 and 34 against Northants and 28 and 4 against Worcestershire, but is convinced that will change before the season is out.
Pujara says: “Although I haven’t got the runs I would have wanted in the last two games, I’m sure they will come because I feel I’m in decent form and I’ve been preparing right, which I feel is always a key thing.
“The conditions are completely different to what I am used to, but at the same time I like to challenge myself because it helps me grow as a cricketer.
“You do need to adapt your game in England, but not too much, that you don’t play in your natural manner. I’ve had a chat with Peter Moores and there’s a few specific things I’ve worked on that helps.”
Pujara is someone who knows a thing or two about playing with legends, having batted alongside Indian hero Sachin Tendulkar when he was first making his way in the game.
He insists Chris Read is right up there with some of the very best to have played the game and feels privileged to have played alongside the Devonian in his final home match against Worcestershire the week before last.
“Chris has been such a fantastic player for so many years and he’s deservedly got the respect of all those who play with and against him,” Pujara says.
“As well as being very talented behind the wicket and as a batsman, he’s also got a great cricket brain that all the best players have.”
“I think Jake Libby has a really bright future and he’s really impressed me since I’ve been here.”
A number of players have put in outstanding efforts over the course of the summer, which Notts hope to round off with their third trophy in the shape of the Division Two title, having already secured the Royal London One-Day Cup and NatWest T20 Blast.
But the player who has most caught Pujara’s eye is someone who he believes has still to play his best cricket for the county, rather than a proven performer.
He explains: “I think Jake Libby has a really bright future and he’s really impressed me since I’ve been here.
“He’s eager to learn and a quick learner and has a very good technique and temperament for red ball cricket.
“He hasn’t always necessarily got the big scores this season, but he’s improving all the time and has a very good coach in Peter Moores to learn from.
“He has got a new two-year contract which will give him more time to develop and maybe one day he might get the chance to play for England.”
Seam bowler Mark Footitt misses out on the squad for tomorrow's game with a neck injury.
Nottinghamshire squad to face Northamptonshire (from): Jake Libby, Cheteshwar Pujara, Steven Mullaney, Chris Read, Riki Wessels, Harry Gurney, Luke Wood, Matt Carter, Samit Patel, Tom Moores, Brett Hutton, Billy Root, Matt Milnes.