India had a meltdown in the second innings at Hyderabad as England skittled them out for 202, securing a victory by 28 runs. Truth be told, though, it could have been far more disastrous if not for the Indian tail featuring knocks of resilience from Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. With VK out till 2nd Test, India will need someone who can man the ranks and eventually continues to do so. Who comes to your mind? For us, it is Cheteshwar Pujara.
Yes, you heard us right, the big man, the man who defied Australia on their soil, the man who left England reeling in his wake and that too on the latter’s backyard, the man who loves to bat and is an incredible addition to any test team. His last appearance came in the WTC final and since then he has been lost. In the wake of India’s stutter, here are three reasons why Cheteshwar Pujara should be brought back immediately.
#1 Excellent player of spin
It is needless to say that this series will be testing the batters with an imperious brand of spin and England, once they have tasted a victory, they will be going all guns blazing at India with a plethora of spin options. This is where India needs someone who can play spin eminently enough. Pujara is one of those reliable gladiators who is a master player of spin and can inflict some serious damage on the bowlers.
#2 Can bat like a superhuman
India needed someone who can hang in the center and can keep on bringing out the defensive force against England’s reckoning bowlers. More importantly in the era of fast cricket, where batters like to score at 5 runs an over where life becomes difficult as soon as they hit the stride in an unexpected way. So truth be told, when the equation gets tough, you have to bat deeper, Pujara is your man.
#3 Nerves of steel – Cheteshwar Pujara
In today’s Test cricket when you are up against a reckoning force like England, things may look bleak and there is hardly any resistance that you will be able to cook unless your nerves are made of steel. When Australia came knocking, copping one blow after the other, standing tall, rocking the shores, Pujara came out facing the situation like a gladiator. That is what makes Pujara a should-be returnee to the Indian side.
