Watch: Cheteshwar Pujara sweats it out in nets as India top-order fails in Rajkot Test

Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was once again neglected by the Indian selectors and was not picked for the last three Tests against England.

Pujara has been in sublime form in the ongoing Ranji Trophy and with the inexperienced batting lineup in the current team setup, many cricket experts believe that he deserves a comeback into the team. Pujara was found practicing with his Ranji team Saurashtra in Rajkot, where the third IND vs ENG Test match is being played.

The Indian top order crumbled in the first session of the Day 1 of the third IND vs ENG Test match. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rajat Patidar were dismissed cheaply and India were reduced to 33/3. Gill who scored a century in the last match was removed for a duck.

Cheteshwar Pujara on the other hand played his last Test match for India in June 2023 during the World Test Championship final against Australia. Pujara was not able to score runs and for the same reason, he was dropped from the team.

However, Pujara has displayed a brilliant comeback and performed well during the County Championship in England. Also, in the current Ranji Trophy season, Pujara has scored 673 runs from 6 games at an average of 74.77. He has slammed 2 half-centuries and 2 centuries in the current edition of India’s biggest domestic event.

Watch: Cheteshwar Pujara practices with Saurashtra in Rajkot amid India’s top-order failure

At the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Cheteshwar Pujara is sweating it out with the Saurashtra team ahead of their Ranji Trophy match. Handful of spectators have come down in the Lunch break to see him bat 🙂 pic.twitter.com/tgD3hhXweH

— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) February 15, 2024

Cheteshwar Pujara also completed 20000 runs in his first-class career whereas he also went past the 7000 run mark in the Ranji Trophy. Pujara also completed his 17th double hundred of his first-class career whereas he smashed a ton against Rajasthan in the last Ranji Trophy 2023-24 match.

Getting back to the third IND vs ENG Test match, after the Indian team were reduced to 33/3, captain Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja brought the hosts back into the match and helped them reach 93/3 at Lunch. Sharma completed his half-century whereas Jadeja is also steady at the crease with the Indian captain.

Earlier in the day, India made four changes in the side after winning the toss in Rajkot and handed over debuts to Sarfaraz Khan and wicket-keeper batsman Dhruv Jurel. Sarfaraz earned a reward for his brilliant performance in domestic cricket and has been added to the team to strengthen the team’s middle order. Jurel showcased a lot of promise during the Indian Premier League 2023 due to which he has been included in the team in place of out-of-form KS Bharat.

India are missing the services of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul who are ruled out of the third Test match due to different reasons. Kohli has pulled out of the series due to personal reasons whereas, Rahul had niggle in his thigh and was not fit to play the third Test match.

The Indian team would want to win the third Test match in Rajkot and also continue the winning momentum they gained from winning the second Test match. England, on the other hand, have showcased brilliant competition to India in the first two games and were able to win the first Test match in Hyderabad.