In the series opener of the 5-match Test series against England, Team India made a bold move by dropping Cheteshwar Pujara from the XI. They went with KL Rahul instead at No.3 and though the right-hander did earn a spot in the team given the kind of form he has demonstrated in the last few months, it wasn’t quite justified to drop Pujara. The debate has been going on since the start of the match and former Indian cricketers like Mohinder Amarnath started to believe that Pujara deserves to be a part of the side.
Amarnath thinks that in conditions when most batsmen struggle against the moving ball someone line the Saurashtra batsman is an asset to possess. If he is given a longer rope it works best for him and in the favor of the team as well since 30-year-old has the ability to score big once he gets into his zone.
In his column for the Times of India, Amarnath said, “The team selection needs to be looked into. When batsmen are struggling with the moving ball, it might be a good idea to induct Cheteshwar Pujara into the side. I know he is not in great form, but he has the ability to occupy the crease and just needs time in the middle to rediscover his touch.”
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The World Cup-winning cricketer is also suggested that it will be a good idea to play Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Hardik Pandya. Given his partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin will make life tougher for the batsmen and his ability with the bat lower down the order. He thinks Jadeja is the kind of player who will add balance to this team something Bhuvneshwar Kumar did on the last tour.
Marnath explained, “It might also be a good idea to play Ravindra Jadeja instead of Hardik Pandya. Jadeja’s spin might be a good foil for the pace trio and Ashwin, and he might also contribute with the bat. It is unfortunate that Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was so good on the last tour, is injured but Jadeja might give the team balance.”
He further went on to explain that the Indian batsmen need to look at skipper Virat Kohli’s performance from the first Test and pull their game together.
