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Cheteshwar Pujara is preparing for the Duleep Trophy after being dropped for the next two Tests against West Indies next month.
In a clip uploaded to Instagram, the right-handed batter can be seen practicing his shots. Pujara captioned the post with the cricket and heart emoji. This post comes a day after Saurashtra dropped the WI Tests bat after failing with the bat in the final of the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) in England.
The 35-year-old scored 14 and 27 as India lost to Australia by 209 runs in the summit match. This came despite him scoring three tons for Sussex in the Second Division.
Watch the video below:
According to The Times of India, selectors want to try out youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the next tournament cycle (2023-25). However, Pujara was not completely ruled out for future Tests.
A source told TOI:
“If (Pujara’s) scores were to take place in domestic cricket, the doors would not be closed to him, and he has been informed.”
“Why did he become a scapegoat?” – Sunil Gavaskar axed Chichshwar Pujara for WI Tests
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has slammed critics for dropping Chiteshwar Pujara in the WI Tests. The 73-year-old said the entire batting unit, with the exception of Ajinkya Rahane, failed in the World Tennis Championships final. He told India Today:
“Why make him a scapegoat for our striking failures? Because he doesn’t have millions of followers on any platform that would make a fuss if he was dropped? What are the criteria for dropping him and retaining others who failed?”
Besides Pujara, the likes of captain Rohit Sharma (15 & 43), Virat Kohli (14 & 49) and Shubman Gill (13 & 18) failed to reach the final of the World Tennis Championships. Despite this, the trio retained their spots in the Test squad.
Meanwhile, Pujara will next appear in West Zone competition for the Duleep Trophy from 5 July. She will play the winners of the Eastern and Central regions in the semi-finals in Alur.
Western Region Division: Priyank Panchal (Captain), Chichwar Pujara, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harvik Desai (Wcketkeeper), Prithvi Shaw, Heet Patel (Watcher Keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Arpit Vasavada, Atit Seth, Shams Mulanidia, Govrajadi Sakarya, Chintan Jagga Arzan Ngwaswala.
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