The Indian team ended 2024 with a big loss in the Melbourne Test owing to a poor batting performance. Amid this chaos, an Indian Express report revealed that India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the selectors are not on the same page.
As per the report, Gautam Gambhir was eager to have veteran Cheteshwar Pujara in the squad for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) thanks to his stellar record in Australia. But it has been learnt that the selectors turned down the suggestion.
Pujara last played a Test match in June 2023 against Australia in India’s quest to clinch the World Test Championship at the Oval. The right-hand batter had poor outings in both innings, mustering scores of 14 and 27, which led to his removal from the team.
Gambhir, though, wanted to have Pujara back in the squad for the BGT considering his rich experience in batting down under and the inconsistent performances from top-order batters. The selectors said no before picking up the squad, but the coach pitched for Pujara even after India won the Perth Test.
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Pujara’s Past Performance in Australia
The Saurashtra batter has toured Australia three times between 2014 and 2021, accumulating 993 runs in 21 innings. He averages 47.28 while adding three hundreds and five half-centuries.
Pujara played a crucial role on India’s last two tours in 2018/19 and 2020/21. In the 2018/19 BGT, the 36-year-old batter netted 521 runs in seven innings (four Tests), helping India win their first Test series in Australia.
On the next tour, he endured many blows to his body while tiring out the Australian bowling attack. Pujara couldn’t get a big score but scored a vital 271 runs in eight innings while holding one end, taking India to their second consecutive series victory.
Pujara’s batting was perhaps the point of difference on both tours, keeping the Aussies at bay with his gritty knocks. Even Josh Hazlewood, the Australian pacer, admitted Pujara’s ability to bat for a longer duration.
“I am happy that Cheteshwar Pujara is not here. He is someone who bats time and spends a lot of time at the crease and makes you earn his wicket every time,” Hazlewood said before the BGT 2024/25 series.
