Out of favour Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir recently spoke to ESPNcricinfo.com and lauded India’s good show in Test cricket in the recent past. Gambhir, who has been trying hard at the domestic level to make a comeback to international cricket, heaped praises on India’s number 3 in Test cricket, Cheteshwar Pujara.
Gautam Gambhir said that Cheteshwar Pujara deserves more respect for his consistency in Test cricket. He also said that playing just one format of the game allows a cricketer to prepare better and this is why Pujara has been so consistent over a long period of time.
“One thing which is really important to note is that he is playing only one form of the game. He can actually keep his mind pretty stable while playing and preparing only for five-day cricket. Had he been playing One-Dayers and T20Is as well, it would have been much more difficult for him, because sometimes you have to change your mindset. When you’re not scoring runs in One-Day cricket, you go into a Test series not with the same confidence. But when you’re playing just one format, it is easier to be consistent than someone who is playing all three formats,” Gautam Gambhir said.
Gautam Gambhir said that India, as a nation, gives less importance to Test cricket and it is unfortunate. He also added that if we talk about red ball cricket, Pujara is more consistent than the likes of Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and others.
“That’s the unfortunate thing. We don’t give too much importance to Test cricket, and that is the reason. It is all about white-ball cricket and what people do in ODIs and T20s. But yes, when it comes to red-ball cricket, he (Pujara) is right at the top. Maybe far more consistent than Kohli or Dhawan,” Gautam Gambhir said.
OUR TAKE: Gautam Gambhir is known for speaking his mind without mincing words. Cheteshwar Pujara is one of the most technically correct batsmen in world cricket and he has been in tremendous run-scoring form for India in Test cricket. Gautam Gambhir is absolutely correct when he says India needs to give more importance to Test cricket and brilliant Test cricketers like Cheteshwar Pujara.
