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Mohammad Kaif has lauded the manner in which Cheteshwar Pujara won back his place in the Indian Test side. The right-handed batter was not considered for the home series against Sri Lanka in March 2022 but made a resounding comeback months later on the back of a formidable county stint with Sussex.
After being unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega-auction, Cheteshwar Pujara landed a stint in the County Championship. He made an instant impact and went on to pile on runs, leading to the selectors recalling him for the rescheduled fifth Test against England in August 2022.
Opining that Pujara's comeback is a perfect example to youngsters as to how to let performances do the talking, 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."
Noting that Pujara made the selectors rethink their decision to omit him from the squad, Kaif continued:
"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."
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 at an average of 82, with all three of his appearances coming on home soil.
"Please do not select heroes from IPL for India on the basis of a couple of matches" - Mohammad Kaif
Team India's selection calls have been under the radar for quite a while now. A slew of players have managed to break into the squad, but have failed to make a lasting impression.
With senior players being injured and workload management being at the fore, the presence of new faces has been a common sight in the Indian team.
Pleading the selectors to give consistent performances in domestic cricket precedence over a few positive glimpses in the Indian Premier League (IPL), 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."
Kaif concluded:
"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."
The decision to include Jaydev Unadkat to replace Mohammad Shami in the squad for the Bangladesh Tests was met with unanimous acclaim.
The left-arm pacer has been toiling hard on the domestic circuit for Saurashtra and has a chance to make his second Test appearance after a gap of 12 years.
India will face Bangladesh in the first Test beginning on Wednesday, December 14, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
Who will win the Test series between India and Bangladesh? Let us know what you think.
