[caption id="attachment_43892" align="aligncenter" width="580"]04pujaratrophies2 Pujara tasked with filling Pattinson void. Image Source: BCCI[/caption] Internet Desk: India’s one of the most dependable test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has replaced Australian speedster James Pattinson at Nottinghamshire. Pujara will join the English county side later this month once Pattinson joins up with Australia's one-day international squad to prepare for the upcoming Champions Trophy, which gets underway next month in England. The International Cricket Council's number four ranked Test batsman - one spot higher than his national captain Virat Kohli - is not contracted to an Indian Premier League side. He isn't likely to feature in India's Champions Trophy squad, having not played an ODI in nearly three years. Nottinghamshire indicated Pujara will be available for their next four County Championship matches, with the 29-year-old to play his first match against Glamorgan when the four-day competition resumes later this month. Pattinson has collected 20 wickets at the staggering average of 11.15 in just three Championship matches for Nottinghamshire this season. Despite their differing skill sets, Notts' director of cricket Mick Newell is confident Pujara can step into the Victorian's shoes. "We have looked around the world to find the right player," Newell said. "The most important thing was to sign someone with the quality to make us better, rather than limiting our options by saying it had to be a bowler. "We have depth in our squad with regards bowling and - particularly as we'll be without Alex Hales during that period - we're more than happy to welcome a world-class batsman to the Club." Nottinghamshire will be Pujara's third county, having previously played for both Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The right-hander was India's leading run-scorer on their recent four-Test series against Australia, racking up 405 runs at 57.85 to help the hosts reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He's made four Test tons against England - none away from home - though he struck his only half-century on British soil (a second-innings 55 in 2014) at his new home ground, Trent Bridge. "I love playing county cricket and Trent Bridge is a great venue," Pujara said. "I'm really looking forward to my first experience there as a home player. "The aim is to win as many games as possible so the team stays on top of the points table." Newell had previously suggested Notts, runaway ladder-leaders in Division Two of the Championship, had been offered a dozen players as potential replacements for Pattinson. "We've been offered 10 to 12 players I guess. The question is are they any good?" Newell told the Nottinghamshire Post last month. "Some of them we were offered before. They're more relevant now with the situation we're in." The Outlaws are hopeful Pattinson may make a return to Trent Bridge after Australia's Champions Trophy campaign is over. "There's the small hope James might play two more games after the Champions Trophy. That's at Cricket Australia's discretion and we've spoken with them a bit about that," Newell said.

Cheteshwar Pujara to play for Nottinghamshire