Former India player Mohammad Kaif has praised the manner in which Cheteshwar Pujara won back his place in the Indian Test side. He was not considered for the home series against Sri Lanka in March 2022 but made a stunning comeback months later on the back of a formidable county stint with Sussex. However, after being unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega-auction, Cheteshwar Pujara played in the County Championship. He made an instant impact and went on to pile on runs, leading to the selectors recalling him in the squad for the rescheduled fifth Test against England in August 2022 as well.
While talking about that, Kaif said in a media interaction arranged by the Sony Sports Network: “I am happy that Pujara has made a comeback into the team. The manner in which he scored runs after being dropped from the side, it is a prime example for youngsters on how to make a comeback. Pujara is the best example. After getting dropped, what did he do? He played County cricket and scored centuries in four-day, ODI and even T20s as well. He scored so many runs that he forced the selectors to admit their mistake and win a place back in the team. He made the selectors surrender. So, let him play well, he has been doing well sir, kindly get off Pujara’s back.”
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However, Pujara has been named as the vice-captain over Rishabh Pant in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. The batter has a formidable record against the Tigers, scoring 246 runs which came at an average of 82, with all three of his appearances coming on home soil as well. Meanwhile, Team India’s selection calls have come under the scanner for quite some time now as well.
While talking about the selectors giving consistent performances in domestic cricket and this is a few positive glimpses, Mohammad Kaif said: “Domestic players, who have been scoring runs and hundreds on a consistent basis, like Abhimanyu Easwaran has done, only those players should get selected. Please do not select heroes from the IPL for India on the basis of a couple of matches. The players who have been scoring heavily in domestic cricket for four to five years are rightly in line.”
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However, India will face Bangladesh in the first Test beginning on Wednesday, December 14, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram as well.
