"Pujara always gets dropped" - Mohammad Kaif questions Cheteshwar Pujara's exclusion for West Indies Tests

Mohammad Kaif has questioned the selectors for singling out Cheteshwar Pujara after India's loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and dropping him for the upcoming series against the West Indies.

Rohit Sharma and Co. will face the Windies in a two-match series, with the first game to be played in Roseau from July 12. Pujara has been dropped from the 16-member Test squad, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad getting a look-in.

During an interaction on 'Virtual Encounters' on DD India, Kaif was asked about his thoughts on Cheteshwar Pujara being dropped, to which he responded:

"They lost the game because they could not bowl well. If we talk about England (WTC final), Australia got almost 500 runs batting first. So we could not bowl well. Understanding the conditions probably we should have batted first and added Ashwin in the first XI."

The former Indian batter added:

"So all these tactical mistakes we have made. It's not just Pujara, you have got so many players who haven't scored runs. Pujara always gets dropped. It's tough to understand why they have dropped Pujara."

India conceded 469 runs after asking Australia to bat first on a green top. They couldn't reach the 300-run mark in either of their innings, with Ajinkya Rahane being the only frontline batter to score a half-century in the game.

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"Don't wait for these guys to come back in form and select them again" - Mohammad Kaif on Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been in and out of India's Test side.

Mohammad Kaif criticized the dilly-dallying with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's selections:

"Someone like Pujara, you have to take the call. Is he in your scheme of things for the future? What about Rahane? You need to have new players. Once you have new players, then leave Rahane and Pujara. Don't wait for these guys to come back in form and select them again."

The cricketer-turned-commentator also questioned Pujara's earlier recall based on his county performances and Rahane's appointment as vice-captain for the West Indies tour:

"You cannot be confused about whether to have Pujara in the squad, drop him and then select him again when he goes to play county. Rahane had been out, he comes back and became the vice-captain. When it comes to selecting the senior players, you have to have a very clear idea."

Kaif concluded by stating that you need to move on if you have decided to do so and inform the players accordingly. He added that senior players cannot just be dropped and picked again and that there needs to be a future roadmap.