Cheteshwar Pujara shockingly joins Team India in England at the 11th hour

Former Team India batter Cheteshwar Pujara made a surprise visit to the team's net session ahead of the first Test of the five-match series against England. The veteran batter, who is not part of the current squad, was seen interacting with Kuldeep Yadav and bowling coach Morne Morkel during the nets.

The opening Test between India and England is set to begin on Friday, June 20, at Headingley in Leeds. This match marks the start of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle for both teams. The performance and strategies from the match will set the tone for the remaining games of the series.

Watch: Cheteshwar Pujara Makes Surprise Nets Visit Ahead of 1st Test vs England

Cheteshwar Pujara made an appearance at India’s training session ahead of the first Test against England at Headingley. The former No. 3 batter, now part of the broadcast team for the series, was seen interacting with players and staff.

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A humorous moment occurred when Pujara chatted with Kuldeep Yadav and Morne Morkel. After Pujara greeted Kuldeep, Morkel joined in and jokingly remarked, “He’s keeping me on my toes, let’s be honest!” prompting laughter from both players.

Broadcaster Sony Sports Network shared a light-hearted clip from India’s training session on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with caption, "𝐀 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 😍 Dekhiye India's Tour of England, kal se Sony Sports Network ke TV Channels par! 🏏"

𝐀 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 😍

Dekhiye India's Tour of England, kal se Sony Sports Network ke TV Channels par! 🏏#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/TJKcO0lygn

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 19, 2025

Kuldeep Yadav Named as India’s Only Specialist Spinner for England Test Series

The series is the beginning of a significant transition for Team India without senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir will have to find the right balance between batting depth and bowling variety in the playing XI.

Kuldeep Yadav is the only specialist spinner in India’s 19-member squad, with Ravindra Jadeja expected to contribute as a spin-bowling all-rounder. Their inclusion will depend on the conditions and squad balance.

Weather is expected to impact the game. While day one should be sunny, rain is likely to disrupt play over the remaining four days. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM IST, with the toss at 3:00 PM.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s Most Recent Test Appearance Came in 2023

Cheteshwar Pujara, who made his Test debut in 2010, has played 103 matches for India, with his last appearance coming in 2023. The right-handed batter has scored 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties, with a best score of an unbeaten 206 against England in 2012.

Cheteshwar Pujara has an impressive average of 61.4 across 129 innings against spinners, having scored 3,376 runs against them.

The 37-year-old has played 16 Test matches in England, scoring 870 runs from 32 innings at an average of 29. He has registered one century and five half-centuries. His lone hundred came in 2018 when he scored 132* off 257 balls in Southampton.

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