Former chief selector CEC Prasad is disappointed that veteran pacer Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the squad for the upcoming Test series in Australia. CEC Prasad also said that the selectors could have waited for one India A match to decide on Nitish Reddy’s inclusion.
On October 25, the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar named the 18-man squad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series. Despite his impressive record in Australia, Pujara was not included in the squad. Fans were expecting his inclusion after the team’s poor series against New Zealand.
Cheteshwar Pujara brings that experience and resilience – CEC Prasad
Speaking to PTI, MSK Prasad highlighted Cheteshwar Pujara’s recent form, including his double century in the last Ranji Trophy. Prasad said Pujara brought that experience and resilience to the team in the bounce-back conditions in Australia.
“Pujara scored a double hundred in the Ranji Trophy. He brings the experience and toughness that the Indian team requires in Australia. I feel if they had to pick Nitish Reddy, you could have at least waited for one India A match and picked him after that,” Prasad told PTI.
Cheteshwar Pujara has a good record in Test matches in Australia. He is the fifth-highest among Indians with 993 runs in 11 Test matches at an average of 47.28, including three centuries and five fifties. He was Man of the Match during the 2018–19 series win, scoring 521 runs at an average of 74.42.
The 36-year-old striker has not played for the Indian national cricket team in the last one year. Pujara last played for the Men in Blue in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia. The right-handed batsman scored 41 runs in two innings in India’s defeat during the summit clash.
Cheteshwar Pujara has been Phenomenal for India – Vijay Dahiya
Vijay Dahiya feels that India should not reconsider Cheteshwar Pujara’s inclusion in the squad. He added that the breeders left him in the last year. Dahiya pointed out that his last double century was against a weaker team, Chhattisgarh, in a high-scoring encounter.
“Bach Pujara has been phenomenal for India, but with all due respect, it’s against Chhattisgarh who don’t boast their best domestic attack of two hundreds. It was a match where 1,000 runs were scored and both teams scored a point,” said Dahiya.
Don’t be ashamed of it – CEC Prasad
CEC Prasad said aging is an inevitable aspect of cricket, but pointed out that the team has not scored enough runs in the first innings of Test matches. Prasad believes that if they can score around 450 runs in the first innings, the team can win.
“Age is natural and cannot be avoided. There is no doubt that such a phase will come, and the transition will not happen overnight. In our case, this team has a nice mix of youth and experience, but I worry about a certain pattern,” Prasad said.
Also read: Sanjay Manjrekar ripped Rohit Sharma after the humiliating Test series loss to New Zealand.
