IND vs WI: Tough To Understand Why Cheteshwar Pujara Always Gets Dropped- Mohammad Kaif

Cricketer-turned-commentator Mohammad Kaif has said that it’s tough to understand why selectors dropped Cheteshwar Pujara for upcoming India vs West Indies Test series. Senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara was snubbed from the Test series against West Indies. Youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been added to the squad.

The event comes after India lost the ICC World Test Championship final 2023 to Australia by 209 runs in June. India faced a big defeat in the match and failed in another attempt to grab ICC Test mace.

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It’s Tough To Understand Why They Have Dropped Cheteshwar Pujara: Mohammad Kaif

While speaking on DD India’s show Virtual Encounters, former Indian player Mohammad Kaif was asked about Cheteshwar Pujara’s absence from the upcoming Test series against England. Kaif replied he fails to understand why selectors dropped him for the series.

“They lost the game because they could not bowl well. If we talk about England (WTC final), Australia got almost 500 runs batting first. So we could not bowl well. Understanding the conditions probably we should have batted first and added Ashwin in the first XI.”

Also Read: IND vs WI: MS Dhoni Backed His Players! Mohammad Kaif Points Out Team India’s Basic Mistakes In ICC Tournaments

“So all these tactical mistakes we have made. It’s not just Pujara, you have got so many players who haven’t scored runs. Pujara always gets dropped. It’s tough to understand why they have dropped Pujara,” Mohammad Kaif said.

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Mohammad Kaif also reckons that selectors should either play seniors Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the Test side or new players. According to him, dropping and bringing back senior players on the national side, again and again, does not make any sense.

“Someone like Pujara, you have to take the call. Is he in your scheme of things for the future? What about Rahane? You need to have new players. Once you have new players, then leave Rahane and Pujara. Don’t wait for these guys to come back in form and select them again.”

“You cannot be confused about whether to have Pujara in the squad, drop him and then select him again when he goes to play county. Rahane had been out, he comes back and became the vice-captain. When it comes to selecting the senior players, you have to have a very clear idea, concluded Kaif, who played 125 ODIs for India during his career.

Ajinkya Rahane, who was axed from the Test team for almost one-and-half years, made a comeback in ICC WTC final 2023 against Australia. He was also the only standout batter in the match, smacking 89 and 46 in both innings.

Also Read: IND vs WI: Mohammad Kaif Explains The Reason Behind India Naming A Full-Strength Side For West Indies ODIs

In the upcoming Test series against West Indies, Rahane was appointed as the new Test vice-captain. Earlier in March 2023, K L Rahul was removed as Test vice-captain. Meanwhile, India vs West Indies 1st Test starts on July 12 (Wednesday).

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