The road ahead for Pujara

Even a county stint didn’t help Pujara regain his spot

Cheteshwar Pujara, after being selected for the Indian Test squad and debuting in 2010, against Australia, seemed to have a very promising career and was expected to bring laurels to Indian cricket. Having played 27 international Test matches, with a batting average of 47.11 and a highest score of 206*, he is among the best top order batsmen India has had. However, his Test future hangs in the balance now after the new Indian skipper preferred Rohit Sharma ahead of him in the playing XI for the one-off Test against Bangladesh.

Batting style and recent form:

Pujara’s batting is a throwback to the eras gone by, with a technique to suit the longer format, he does not tire from scoring runs irrespective of the opposition or venue. His fitness level is ideal for playing long, tireless knocks. High levels of concentration and ability to grind and punish the opposition’s bowlers are some of his strengths and that is why he has been compared to Rahul Dravid ever since the beginning of his career.

In his last series, in late 2014, against Australia, his less than average performance and inability to convert starts to big scores probably led to his exclusion from the playing XI in the ongoing series against Bangladesh.

His recent stint with Yorkshire in county cricket has helped him enhance his game. "I really enjoyed playing for Yorkshire. The weather was cold and wickets were challenging. I learnt a lot many things playing on such challenging surfaces and it has helped me enhance my game," Pujara told media persons after returning back.

"When I went to Yorkshire I had enough time to adjust and push myself in hostile conditions and then I came back and practiced hard on Indian pitches. So I think I am well prepared for the series," the 27-year-old said. Although he strengthened Yorkshire’s top order and provided the much-needed consistency, his future with the Indian Cricket team seems bleak.

Ongoing Series:

In the ongoing tour against Bangladesh, his position has been taken over by Rohit Sharma in the one and only Test.

Rohit, who has the knack of finding gaps, and can accelerate his scoring rate at will, has temporarily earned the No. 3 position in the Test squad. With a batting average of 41.37 in 10 matches, and after scoring a century in his debut Test against the West Indies in 2013, he seems to be the captain’s pick for the Test squad in the given conditions. In his last Test, against Australia, he scored a half-century in the first innings and obtained a decent start in the second batting at number 3.

Although, him being chosen ahead of Pujara has surely come as a bit of a surprise to many experts and fans alike despite the fact that Pujara was already dropped in favour of Rohit for the final Test against Australia. Despite doing well in South Africa, Pujara surprisingly failed to make a mark in England as well where he averaged just 22. And the poor run continued in Australia as well.

The road ahead:

Rohit Sharma’s permanent appointment as a No. 3 batsmen remains doubtful as his performance overseas has been quite disappointing, in terms of consistency and ability to score big. He tends to struggle against the moving ball earlier on in his innings and that may work against him on the longer run even though he is an opener in the limited overs format.

Hence, Pujara’s presence in the squad is absolutely vital, considering his past performances in the Indian subcontinent. His capacity to score big on the spin-friendly pitches had actually secured his spot in the team when he made his debut. Another factor is the team combination. Since he is already present in the squad, there is no doubt that if India go back to their four bowlers formula, Pujara would automatically make the cut. He just needs to be patient and keep working hard in order to regain his spot in the lineup.

The sooner the team management realizes his importance, the better. We hope to see many more classic innings from him in the upcoming Tests this year.