Cheteshwar Pujara’s best possible response after being dropped from India’s Test side

After India’s embarrassing loss in the WTC final against Australia, Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from Rahul Dravid’s squad for their next two-match test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean. Pujara was in poor form during the WTC final, at The Oval in London, as India crashed out to a 209-run defeat. The veteran could only post scores of 14 and 27 in both innings.

Having been a regular mainstay in the Indian Test setup, Pujara’s time could be drawing to a close. The 35-year-old has managed to record just one century in 52 innings (28 Tests) since 2020 at an average of 26.69, and has only bagged just 11 half-centuries. If he excludes his scores of 90 and 102* from the Chittagong test in December 2022, his average falls to 26.31. In two years, this is also the second time that Pujara has been abandoned. He too was knocked out during the home series against Sri Lanka in 2022.

Despite being eliminated, it seems like Pujara is working hard to make a comeback. The hitter posted a video on Twitter showing him in practice, showing off his shot selection. Here is the video:

The last time he was dropped in 2022, he returned to the team for the fifth and final Test against England at Edgbaston and has managed to keep his place so far. The announced 16-man squad for the West Indies Tests also includes Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mukesh Sharma. It is also India’s first series in the 2023-25 ​​WTC cycle.

Gaikwad is considered to be the replacement for Pujara. CSK’s first match was a backup in the WTC final but had to be missed due to personal reasons. He was succeeded by Jaiswal, who is also considered a candidate for the Pujara No. 3 spot.