MS Dhoni — Time to try Cheteshwar Pujara in ODIs

It’s time Cheteshwar Pujara is given an extended run in ODIs

Well, the charm of the last ODI to be played between India and New Zealand has vanished. Most of the fans of the game in this cricket mad country will probably just watch so as to see that whether Kohli is able to score another ton or not. That seems to be the only possibility which can make them smile! To be practical, thinking of a win seems useless!

Although I still believe that Team India will show some spark – they have got nothing to lose now – but expectations are low. I am sure the team will put in all out efforts to restore their confidence and it will work as a morale booster before the Test series.

To be honest, our bowlers have failed miserably. Not that they are not talented, but the sole cause in the opinion of most of the fans is the lack of killing instinct. Recently, Sunil Gavaskar had expressed the same views but in reply MS Dhoni jokingly set aside these opinions.

A lot of fans have already given viable suggestions such as change in the batting order, strengthening the bowling attack, and to infuse the integration in the squad. Another lot of fans believe that inclusion of one all rounder like Yuvraj would have worked like magic and ensured addition of few extra runs and a couple of timely wickets. These suggestions seem decent, but the most important ingredient needed is solidity at the top of the order. This is high time that out top order is strengthened – keeping in view the world cup next year.

As a long term solution, it will be better if Cheteshwar Pujara is invariably included in the Indian ODI squad. This would help up give solidity at the top of the order. The very first and foremost argument in favor of Pujara is his consistency. Another vital positive is that he plays in a rather cool and contented manner like Rahul Dravid. He has nine hundreds and 18 fifties to his credit, scored in just 68 List-A matches. He has got a pretty good average of 55 and he is not as slow as his reputation suggests. While playing against Madhya Pradesh last year, in an impressive innings of 203, he scored his last fifty runs in just 17 balls.

He repeated the same feat with 352 against Karnataka – managing a strike-rate of 82.43. Again, on the tour of South Africa, against the world’s best bowling attack in the Johannesburg Test, he scored the second fifty of his century in just 41 balls. I do not say he is the best one to fast track the run rate, but the above examples certainly entail him a place in the ODI squad as well.

While putting his faith in Pujara, MSD has got nothing to lose. In any case, I can foresee Pujara will be able to at least perform better than Rahane or Dhawan. It’s high time to give Pujara his deserved place in the team!