Will Virat Kohli's retirement opens door for out-of-contention Cheteshwar Pujara for India's tour of England?
Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket on Monday left everyone shocked. The former India captain's retirement from the longest format was on cards since reports emerged that the star batter doesn't want to fly to England for the five-match Test series next month.
Kohli's retirement has created a void in the Indian middle-order ahead of the series against England which starts on June 20. While India have the likes of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant in the middle order, it looks largely experienced considering the English conditions which favours pace and swing.
With no Kohli at No.4, the names of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have cropped up whether the senior duo deserves a chance against England. Both Rahane and Pujara have been among the runs in the domestic cricket recently, scoring bulk of runs.
For the record, Pujara scored 402 runs in seven matches at an average of 40.20 for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, while Rahane managed managed 467 runs at an average of 35.92 for Mumbai in the same tournament. In fact, Pujara had scored a double hundred too.
Both Pujara and Rahane, last played for India in Tests was in 2023.
One of the major aspects that keeps Pujara ahead of Rahane was the former's form for Sussex during County Championships in 2023 and 2024 season. Since his last Test for India, Pujara has extensively featured for Sussex across formats, scoring a bulk of runs.
In 2023 season of County Championship Division Two, Pujara played eight matches, scoring 649 runs, which included three centuries at an average of 54.08. The right hander returned for the next season to score another 501 runs from six games at 62.62, including two hundreds.
Earlier in the year, Pujara has also expressed his desire to play for the Indian team again if given a chance. "I am playing domestic cricket. If given a chance, I am ready to grab it with both hands. The hunger is even more. When you are older, you need to work even harder," Pujara has said at a RevSportz conclave.
Pujara, so far has played 103 Tests, scoring 7195 runs with 19 hundreds. In England, Pujara has played 16 Tests, scoring 870 runs with a best of 132.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
No disrespect to Anderson-Tendulkar, but renaming the Pataudi Trophy isn't quite cricket
In 2007, ahead of the 75th anniversary of India's entry into Test cricket (their first game was against England at Lord's in June 1932), the Pataudi Trophy was instituted as the coveted prize for the winner of the series between the two teams on English soil. The Anthony S De Mello Trophy, named after one of the two founding fathers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was the corresponding silverware for victors of Indo-England showdowns in India. The naming of the trophy after the Pataudi father-son duo – Iftikhar Ali Khan played for both England and India, while 'Tiger' Mansur remains India's youngest Test captain – was welcomed as thoughtful, sensitive, laudatory. There was more than mere tokenism to the nomenclature. The senior Pataudi symbolised the shared cricketing legacy between India and the country that ruled them for long. He stood up for what he believed in, and was therefore dropped after the second Test of the infamous Bodyline series of 1932-33 in Australia when he refused to field on the leg-side, in defiance of captain Douglas Jardine. Iftikhar Ali Khan, who made a century on debut in Sydney in December 1932, played three Tests for England and three for India (all as captain) against England in a Test career that spanned nearly 14 years. His son, educated in England, was one of India's finest batters and one of the greatest fielders of his – old-times insist 'any' – era. But his legacy extended far beyond that. Taking over the reins in the Caribbean in 1962 when only 21 after designated skipper Nari Contractor received a sickening blow to his head from Charlie Griffith in a tour match, Tiger instilled a sense of 'Indianness' within the side, exploding regional barriers and divides on the basis of geography and language to forge a fighting fit unit that was proud of its collective roots. Fusing the charisma of royalty with an innate sense of oneness and empathy, Tiger is hailed as the prince with the heart of a commoner. Between them, father and son had done yeomen service to the cricket world at large, not just Indian cricket, and it was befitting therefore that the Pataudi Trophy, a small way of recognising their contribution to the sport, came into being. Now, the Pataudi Trophy is being consigned to history. Starting in two weeks' time, England and India will do battle in the former's backyard for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, named after inarguably the greatest batter (Sachin Tendulkar) of his generation and unquestionably the most prolific fast bowler (James Anderson) in the five-day game. Both are icons, trend-setters, trail-blazers, relentless in their pursuit of excellence and shining examples of how to play the game in the spirit in which it is intended to be. There is no questioning whether they are worthy of this honour. Both are living legends and deserve to be celebrated. But at the expense of the Pataudis? Why? One of the reasons proffered for the change is that naming the series after contemporary greats will make the rivalry more relatable to the younger generation. Should we presume that two decades hence, we will move on from Anderson-Tendulkar to players of a more recent vintage? Is this how we honour legends who have carved a path where none existed, so that newer fans with recency bias are allowed to forget history, forget the giants who have made the sport what it is? That such a move has emanated from England, with its avowed respect for and faith in history and tradition, is particularly disturbing though it is perhaps in keeping with the recent trend – after all, it is England that has given us T20 cricket, it is also in England where The Hundred, a 100-ball-a-side concept, has taken deep root. It is incumbent upon the custodians of the game, the administrators, even modern players, to ensure that new, young fans are educated about the history of the sport, any sport. To assume that today's followers have no interest in knowing about the past is dangerous and short-sighted, with the potential to eventually relegate the glorious past to deep recesses and invest only in the present. The name change has understandably attracted censure from several quarters. The graceful Sharmila Tagore, the late Tiger's wife, called it 'insensitive' while Sunil Gavaskar was less guarded in his criticism. 'It shows a total lack of sensitivity to the contribution made by the Pataudis to cricket in both England and India,' the batting legend wrote in his column in Sportstar. 'Here's hoping that if an Indian player has been approached, he'll have the good sense to decline politely.' One's not sure what Tendulkar has made of this.
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
21st Delhi International GM Open Chess Tournament: A clash of titans begins in premier classical showdown
Chess (Photo by) S.L. Narayanan, Abhijeet Gupta (three-time Delhi GM champion), alongside international stars Levan Pantsulaia (Georgia) and Manuel Petrosyan (Armenia) are set to compete in the 21st Delhi International GM Open Chess Tournament, commencing June 7 at Tivoli Gardens, New Delhi. The tournament has attracted more than 2,500 participants from 25 countries, cementing its position as a premier classical chess competition in Asia, where established champions compete and emerging talents develop. Top seed Narayanan (FIDE 2600) leads this year's competition, recognised for his classical chess expertise. The strong Indian representation includes Abhijeet Gupta, GM Diptayan Ghosh, and National Champion GM Venkataraman Karthik. Category A, designated for internationally rated players, features 24 GMs & 21 IMs, including notable international players like Luka Paichadze (Georgia). This category offers Rs 51 lakh in prize money. Bangladesh's WIM Rani Hamid, aged 80 and twenty-time National Champion, returns to Delhi, sustaining her distinction as one of Asia's most enduring international players. Bharat Singh Chauhan, Delhi Chess Association President, stated: "Over the years, we've nurtured players not just by giving them a platform, but by building a high-performance environment rooted in consistency and care. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo Many of India's finest, including Gukesh and Arjun, have grown through this very ecosystem. With legends like Rani Hamid and stars like Narayanan in the mix, this year's edition reflects the range, strength, and soul of South Asian chess. " The tournament has established itself as a significant platform for elite talent development. Notable players including Arjun Erigaisi, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram refined their skills here, whilst Gukesh Dommaraju secured his final GM norm at this event, becoming the world's youngest Grandmaster at age 12. The 2025 edition maintains this tradition of excellence. Categories B (Under-1900) and C (Under-1700) each offer Rs 35 lakh in prizes, attracting over 2,000 participants. All competitions follow classical time control format under FIDE Swiss System rules, comprising 10 rounds per section.
Economic Times
40 minutes ago
- Economic Times
India will replace the skill side of it: Ponting on team's transition from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
ANI Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket last month Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed that while replacing legendary India batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would be a hard thing to do in Test format, they have the quality and skill in their players to cope with this massive task better than other teams. The five-test tour of England, starting June 20 at Leeds and lasting until August 2025, is set to be a heavy one for fans and players alike. With senior stars Rohit and Virat having retired from the longest format of the game, the onus lies on the Shubman Gill-led new-look Indian side to prove themselves away from home in tough English conditions and ensure that Indian cricket is safe. Several newer talents and domestic cricket/Indian Premier League (IPL) performers like Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan have earned a ticket to the UK as a part of the main squad. Speaking in the ICC Review as quoted by ICC, Ponting said, "It is always very hard to replace players like that that have been around for so long, that have played that much Test cricket. But if any country can do it and do it quickly, India can because of the amount of young talent that they have.""I have seen it firsthand for 10 years around the IPL, and we have seen the emergence of (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and these sorts of guys who have come into international cricket with India and done really well pretty much straight away." "The skill side of it is one thing to replace, and I think India will replace the skill side of it easily enough, but the experience is the big thing that will be missing for them. So now, even with a young captain with Shubman Gill, they will still have some experience with KL Rahul and (Jasprit) Bumrah and these sort of guys.""But I think if you look at a rebuilding sort of phase, I think India can cope with it better than most other teams," he bid adieu to Test cricket last month, and a few days later, Virat bid his farewell to the format with a heartfelt note on made his Test debut against West Indies in November 2013 and since then, Rohit featured in 67 Tests for India, scoring 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57, with 12 centuries and 18 fifties, his best score being 212. He is the 16th-highest run-getter in the format for years of up and down performances, particularly away, the start of the ICC World Test Championship as a proper tournament revived his Test career as he went on to have a prolific run as an opener. In 40 Tests during WTC history, he made 2,716 runs at an average of 41.15, with nine centuries and eight fifties. His best score was 212. He is India's top run-getter, century maker in WTC history and overall at 10th among top Virat first represented India in Tests against West Indies in 2011 and in the coming years, became the country's biggest ambassador for the longest format, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 appearances, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties. He is the fourth-highest run-getter for India in Tests. He also made a massive impact as India's most successful Test captain, winning 40 out of 68 matches, leading them to numerous iconic wins overseas. As a leader, he developed a massive roster of fast bowling talent for India and was an advocate for top-level fitness and inculcated in the team a "win at all costs" attitude and ability to take on their opponents head-on.
