Only a couple of weeks after he found himself axed from the Indian Test squad, Cheteshwar Pujara exhibited his calibre once again by scoring a gritty century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy. Facing a formidable Central Zone bowling unit, featuring the likes of Avesh Khan and Shivam Mavi, Pujara scored his century in a crucial juncture of the game, with his teammates struggling to tackle the tricky KSCA Cricket Ground pitch in Alur.
Pujara, once regarded as India’s most reliable batter in Tests, recently found himself surplus to requirement in the national set-up. Following a difficult outing in the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final, wherein he scored 41 runs in the two innings combined against Australia, Pujara was dropped from the Test squad for the West Indies series, with new faces being given an opportunity.
However, the veteran has made a pronounced comeback by scoring a century amid harsh batting circumstances, on Friday, 7 June. After Pujara’s team, West Zone secured a 92-run first innings lead over Central Zone, they found themselves in a spot of both, with both openers Prithvi Shaw and skipper Priyank Panchal departing early.
Pujara, however, stood firm to become the first centurion of the game, whilst effectively waging a solitary battle for his team. Barring Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 52 runs, none of West Zone’s batters looked comfortable.
He went on to score 133 runs in 278 deliveries, playing a knock which highlighted his resilient nature. The 35-year-old’s innings comprised fourteen boundaries and a six.
Former Players Criticised Pujara’s Omission
Meanwhile, a few former Indian cricketers and pundits questioned Pujara’s omission from India’s Test plans. Sunil Gavaskar claimed that Pujara has been made the ‘scapegoat’ for not having millions of fans who will revolt at his exclusion.
“Why has he been dropped? Why has he been made the scapegoat for our batting failures? He has been a loyal servant of Indian cricket. A loyal and quiet servant. A loyal and quiet achiever. But because he does not have millions of followers on platforms who will make a noise in case he gets dropped, you drop him. That is something beyond understanding,” Gavaskar had told Sports Today.
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