Though the 35-year-old veteran of 103 Tests has been scoring heavily in the County circuit since the 2022 season, he hasn’t been able to replicate the same for India. Former Indian cricketer and ex-coach of the Indian women’s team WV Raman said that Cheteshwar Pujara’s omission from the Indian Test squad for the upcoming West Indies tour was uncalled for.
“The problem is that they have picked four possible openers, and they have dropped Pujara, which is another bone of contention. A cricketer like Pujara has done a lot for Indian cricket, and he has been instrumental for India winning both at home and abroad on quite a few occasions,: he said in the Akash Chopra YouTube channel.
“He is a gritty customer. He was even elevated to vice-captaincy quite recently but a failure in the WTC final, he finds that he is left out. I think this is one decision that has not gone down well with many people, and I, personally, as well, I am not for it. He deserves to be treated properly. If they think it’s the end of Pujara, he could’ve been given a better exit,” he added.
Even Sunil Gavaskar had recently slammed the selectors for making Pujara the ‘fall guy’ for the team’s collective failure in the World Test Championship final.
“Why has he been dropped? Why has he been made the scapegoat for our batting failures. He has been a loyal servant of Indian cricket. A loyal and quiet servant. A loyal and quiet achiever,” Gavaskar had told Sports Today.
Former India captain has asked selectors to explain the criteria of dropping Pujara, while others who failed has been kept in the squad.
“But because he does not have millions of followers on platforms who will make a noise in case he gets dropped, you drop him. That is something beyond understanding.
“What is the criteria of dropping him and keeping the others who failed? I do not know because nowadays, there is no media interaction with the selection committee chairman.”
Though the 35-year-old veteran of 103 Tests has been scoring heavily in the County circuit since the 2022 season, he hasn’t been able to replicate the same for India.
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