Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara said that Team India probably erred by picking left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in their playing XI for the ongoing Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at The Gabba in Brisbane. Pujara added that considering the number of left-handers in Australia’s playing XI, India should have gone in with an off-spinner – Ravichandran Ashwin or Washington Sundar.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Pujara said: “I know he has been chosen as a batter who can bowl a bit. But, in Australian conditions, when you know that the strong opposition batters are left-handers – Travis Head, Usman (Khawaja), and Alex Carey all are left-handers. So, you want your off-spinner to be there. Even if you look at the rough, it’s mainly for the right-handers, so off-spinners will come into play eventually, even in the second innings.”

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“That’s where I thought our thought process was not up to the mark. We could have gone with the off-spinner. It could have been Ashwin or Washington, but playing Jadeja was probably not the right call. He is one of the best players. He is a great batter and a great fielder, but probably to contain Aussies in those conditions, I thought it was a tough task for him,” Pujara further added.

While Jadeja failed to do well on Day 2 of the Brisbane Test, lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah starred with 5-72 from 25 overs as well. Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed one wicket each, while Akash Deep went wicketless.