‘Didn't get any call from Gautam Gambhir': Cheteshwar Pujara ‘ready' to join India's Test squad in England
With no Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin (all retired) and Mohammed Shami (dropped due to unsatisfactory fitness standards), the Shubman Gill-led India side is one of the least experienced ones to tour England for a full Test series. Sans Kohli and Rohit, India's batting line-up appears pale in comparison. Could the selectors have thought about Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane as a stop-gap arrangement? They have done the same in the past. In fact, current India head coach Gautam Gambhir reportedly wanted Pujara in India's squad for the Australia tour but was denied by the selection committee. Did Gambhir place the same request this time too?
When Pujara was asked whether Gambhir had contacted him before the Indian team's selection meeting, the veteran batter said no. "No, not yet," Pujara told Lallantop when he was asked, "Have you received a phone call from Gambhir yet?"
The veteran of 103 Tests said he is ready to fulfil the role of top-order batter if required.
"I am ready. I don't know if they will take me or not. But if I get a chance, yes, it will be an honour to represent the country again. As a cricketer, you always feel that as long as you are fit, as long as you are contributing, and if I have a good performance in domestic cricket, and I am preparing well, if I get a chance, yes, I will be more than happy to be part of the team," Pujara said.
Pujara's comments came a day before India's squad announcement. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection did not fall back on either him or Ajinkya Rahane. They instead, decided to invest in youth by appointing Shubman Gill as the captain and Rishabh Pant the vice captain. Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan earned his maiden Test call-up while Karun Nair was brought back into the side after 8 years.
Unlike in Australia, where Pujara found a lot of success, scoring 521 runs and 271 runs in India's victorious campaigns in 2018 and 2019, the right-hander does not particularly have a record boast of.
Pujara averages 31 in England in 14 Tests. He has 806 runs with one century to his name.
When Pujara was asked about the reports about Gambhir wanting him in Australia, he said he could have made a difference had he been there. "Look, I can't say much about the selection of the team. But I had a lot of hope that if I get a chance in Australia, I would be able to contribute for the team. Because the way my track record is on Australian soil, I had a confidence that if I get a chance there, I might be able to contribute for the team. Secondly, the way the team is playing right now, especially the way the Australian tour started, it was a very promising start. We won the first test match very well."
"After that, the team's progression was not so good. But when you play in foreign conditions, whether it is Australia, South Africa, New Zealand or England, it is not easy to win or perform there. So many times, the players get criticism. But I also feel for the players, because the players work very hard and try to prepare very well. And if they don't succeed there, there is a different pressure for the player. So it is very important to balance that out."
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