Cheteshwar Pujara was criticized by fans, past players, and experts after his poor performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The amount of criticism has risen to the point that requests for the Saurashtra batsman to be benched have gotten stronger.
Even in the ongoing series against England, Pujara has been below average. Selectors should replace Pujara with either KL Rahul or Hanuma Vihari, according to Team India supporters. Virat Kohli, India’s captain, could also potentially move up to No. 3 in the batting order instead of No. 4 in Tests.
1. A chance for the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, etc.
While Pujara is a valuable asset, he is now ineffective, which hurts India’s prospects of extending their winning streak in the series against England. After warming the benches, Mayank Agarwal, and Hanuma Vihari will be able to claw their way back into the side. The think-tank will be mindful of Pujara’s mediocre performances, particularly his failings in the WTC final and the ongoing series, and will aim to use one of these players in at least one of their Test matches.
2. Pujara’s batting style
In challenging batting circumstances, Pujara’s sluggish batting approach had come undone, and India had gone nowhere after playing for a long period. It’s a technique that has netted him 6,429 runs at an average of 45.6 in 89 Tests. That is overwhelming evidence that it worked in the past, but Pujara’s recent performances demonstrate that his batting style no longer works.
3. A chance to work on his mistakes
Pujara is one of the world’s best batsmen when it comes to technique. However, Pujara’s recent performances demonstrate that he is no longer the same player. His weaknesses are easily exploited by bowlers. Pujara, on the other hand, will be able to work on his flaws and return stronger if he gets enough rest.
4. Poor form
Pujara’s inability to create anything significant in his previous three series since 2020, as well as a lackluster showing in the WTC final, are grounds for concern. Pujara switched gears in the third Test against England, scoring runs off his bat for the first time in a long time, which was much required for his personal benefit given the criticism he was receiving for playing in a defensive mode. Despite the fact that he performed better in the third test than in the previous two, he appeared to be under a lot of pressure. In the fourth Test against England, Pujara was once again dismissed for a single-digit score. Pujara was caught behind the wickets by England’s James Anderson, who poked an outside edge for Jonny Bairstow to grab.
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Lack of intent
The Indian team management has put a lot of pressure on Pujara to demonstrate greater “intent” throughout the years. It’s also led to absurd consequences, such as him taking unnecessary risks and being run out twice in the same Test against South Africa in Centurion in 2018. There’s no chance that Pujara will change his strategy. Kohli has stated that he wants his batsmen to take more risks on the field. Pujara’s defensive strategy is no longer working, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he was dismissed from the Indian team.
