A day after Cheteshwar Pujara was left out of the Test Squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies and the USA, the Indian red-ball specialist posted a video of himself practicing with the red ball. Notably, Cheteshwar Pujara’s snub from the Test Squad created quite a buzz among fans and pundits alike. On the contrary, several youngsters were seen getting their chances. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad found their way into the final squad.
Pujara, on the other hand, was dropped from the squad as a result of his failure in the recently-concluded World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final against Australia. The coveted one-off final ended in a heartbreak for Indian fans as they had to see their team dominated by the Aussies in all departments of the game ultimately culminating in a 209-run loss for the Men in Blue.
Cheteshwar Pujara is part of the West Zone team for the Duleep Trophy
Notably, Cheteshwar Pujara was the only Indian batter who had considerable red-ball practice going into the WTC 2021-23 final. Pujara was enjoying a good stint with Sussex in County Cricket where he even scored a handful of centuries. However, he could only manage 14 off 25 and 27 off 47 in the two innings. As a result, he finds no place in the Test squad for the tour of West Indies that features two Tests.
On the other hand, Pujara will be playing in the upcoming Duleep Trophy that kicks off the Indian Domestic season. He will be a part of the West Zone’s team in the tournament that starts on the 28th of June, 2023. The entire Duleep Trophy will be hosted by Bengaluru on two grounds – Chinnaswamy Stadium and the Alur Cricket Ground. Notably, the Alur Ground was also used by the Australian team for their training camp ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The posted video is interpreted to be a clip from his current training sessions for the West Zone. However, several fans created quite a buzz with their comments reminding of Pujara’s snub from the Test squad for the Windies tour. On the other hand, a few faithful wished him the best for his comeback to the longest format of the game.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Sad you don't have pr like shameless kohli
— Sahil (@kaizar_sahil) June 24, 2023
Puji Bhai ko gussa AA gya ??
— Sultan Khan (@MainHoonSultan7) June 24, 2023
Best of luck for comeback?
— Shubman Gang (@ShubmanGang) June 24, 2023
You were a good batsman. No doubt . Don’t worry Rohit Sharma will be joining you soon. Both practice their together. Let youngsters play for India
— Safas (@realsafas) June 24, 2023
Score 600+ runs against farmers in county good luck bro ?
— Maroof Naqvi (@MaroofNaqvi) June 24, 2023
Announce retirement pal cricket is not your things now
— Sir Ben Jones (@its_parvesh_) June 24, 2023
Rohit should have been dropped and not you. He is playing just on the basis of captaincy quota ? pic.twitter.com/RBxIJluoeA
— Daksh (@82MCG_) June 24, 2023
?????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???????!
— Pranav Sirohi (@pranavsirohi) June 24, 2023
