Reports: India stressing on benching Pujara for the England series
India’s embarrassing loss against New Zealand in the WTC Final has resulted in India rethinking their Test squad. India has to face England in the five-match Test series, commencing on August 4 and there is a lot that needs to be sorted out before entering another big clash. It has been reported that India is thinking to drop Cheteshwar Pujara from the playing XI.
It has to be noted that Pujara’s dismal performance all this while has pushed management to think about his omission. Known as India’s modern-day wall, he is failing, again and again, to produce anything substantial in the crucial hours. It has also been seen that his constant failure is adding pressure on Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.
Hanuma Vihari or KL Rahul to play in Cheteshwar Pujara’s place
As per reports by Inside Sports, Indian management is thinking to include either KL Rahul or Hanuma Vihari at Pujara’s place. Also, Kohli might be promoted to his usual no. 3 batting position rather than 4 in Tests. Earlier Pujara was deemed as one of the vital aspects of the Indian team in the purest format of the game but cracks have started appearing in recent times. In fact, a lot was expected from in the WTC Final but sadly, even that didn’t happen.
A look at Cheteshwar Pujara’s recent stats
His ultra-defensive approach is going wrong for India and a look at his stats will prove it. Talking about his last three series that is since 2020, he has averaged 26.35 compared to his 49.48 earlier, and too without any tons under his belt. Until 2019, his strike rate used to be 46.49 which has further dropped to 30.20. The only substantial innings in recent times have come when he scored 77 against Australia in Sydney.
He hasn’t been able to get even one century in the last 30 innings. His sheer defensive tactics also give the opposition more time to bounce back. He has also gathered 9 single-digit scores since his last century. And, all this adds to the chances of him sitting out in the England series.
