Cheteswar Pujara, the star Indian Test batsman who is widely regarded as one of the finest in longer versions of the game, will not be participating in the West Indies Test tour, which will take place from July 12-25. Pujara’s performance in recent games has not been good at all. His average in Test Cricket over the past three years has been under 30, which says a lot about his dependability and inconsistency.
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The end of Cheteswar Pujara’s Career?
The fact that India won their first Test Series against Australia in their own backyard was largely due to Cheteswar Pujara, one of the best batters in Test cricket. He has 1000 Test Runs, making him the second-fastest Indian ever. He faced 525 deliveries in a single Test Inning, making him the record holder. His 2017 Test Cricket ranking of No. 2 is the highest in his career.
Even though Cheteswar Pujara has played so much county cricket in the UK, he has never been perfect under English conditions. He is the cricket club’s captain for Sussex County. He played five tests in England back in 2014, but he only amassed 222 runs. Despite having those strong beginnings, he was unable to turn them into significant wins; altogether, his series was slow. He was unable to block the seam and the early strokes.
The 2018 Australia Series marked a turning point in Pujara’s career; at Adelaide, India was 41-4 when he hit 123 runs. He continued to bat superbly and helped India win the first Test after ten years in Australia by scoring 71 in the second innings. He contributed a critical 106-run knock in the third Test at Melbourne, and Pujara did it again for his nation, helping India seal a 2-1 series lead. In the Fourth Test at Sydney, he scored 193, and the game ended in a tie. He received the Border Gavaskar Trophy’s Man of the Tournament award.
However, the international cricket century drought for Pujara began in 2019. He took 52 innings and 1443 days to reach a Test century. However, he struggled and lacked knowledge during the England Tour. He scored 8 in the first innings and 15 in the second of the 2022 WTC Final match against New Zealand. His scores in both innings of the 2024 WTC Final against Australia were 14 and 27, respectively.
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Jaiswal, Gaikwad makes their way into the Test Team
Yashasvi Jaiswal, the player of the Indian Premier League season, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, a standout batter for CSK, are included in the West Indies tour. Mohammad Shami, a pacer, was rested, and Mukesh Kumar entered the game. Navdeep Saini is introduced after Umesh Yadav was also benched. Ajinkya Rahane, who scored the most runs in the WTC Final, has been reinstated to the Test Team. For his efforts, Rahane was given a promotion as vice-captain of India.
In the forthcoming series, it would be interesting to discover who India’s new No. 3 hitter will be. Jaiswal or Gaikwad are most likely candidates, but Shubman Gill can also come down the order. Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat will continue to play for India while Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul continue to recuperate from injuries. The West Indies trip gets underway in Dominica on July 12.
Image Source: Times of India
