When Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from the Indian test team against Australia in 2015, many cricket pundits criticized Pujara for his slow batting and lack of intent. Two years on, and Pujara is the stalwart of Indian batting line-up. He has cemented his place in the Indian batting line up and has made the number 3 spot his own.
His consistent performances and now back to back hundreds in the ongoing test match between India and Sri Lanka has forced the legendary Sunil Gavaskar to draw a comparison between The Wall Rahul Dravid and him.
The former Indian captain claimed that Cheteshwar Pujara is the backbone of Indian batting line up in Test Cricket and bats with the same confidence as Rahul Dravid did. He lauded the Indian team management for showing confidence in Pujara and sticking to him, even after he had a lean patch in 2015.
In an interview with NDTV Sunil Gavaskar said, “Cheteshwar Pujara is the backbone of the Indian team. He is highly rated as Rahul Dravid was.” He also commented on Shikhar Dhawan’s inclusion in the match and said, “Shikhar Dhawan has to play in the team. His innings in 1st Test was more impactful than Abhinav Mukund’s.”
Cheteshwar Pujara has been a rock in the Indian batting line-up. Even during his lean patch in 2015, he looked determined to improve and even played a country
