Despite a star-studded lineup, the management opted not to select veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara for the series. With 103 Tests played throughout his career, Cheteshwar Pujara’s experience in the longest format has been key for Team India. With 7195 runs scored and an average of 43.6, on his day, Cheteshwar Pujara’s resilience proved to be the difference between a win and a loss for the side.
Team India is all set to tour Australia for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Both sides will kick off the series by facing off in the first Test on November 22 in Perth. Recently, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced the squad for the upcoming Australia tour.
India is all set to play high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia which will be starting from November 22. It is a series that can very well dictate the course of India’s WTC Final hopes, and with concerns are still looming over India’s recent batting collapses the series becomes even more crucial.
For, just ahead of the new dawn for Indian cricket, it seems the country is all set to play the series without two big guns Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have been the supreme players of Test cricket. Both have been integral part of India’s success during the past decade. What’s important to think is that will their absence in this crucial series make any difference as the team changes
The Legacy Of Ajinkya Rahane And Cheteshwar Pujara In Test Cricket
Ajinkya Rahane is India’s go-to man in trying overseas conditions. His leadership in the Test series 2020-21, which India won against Australia, that too in Virat Kohli’s absence is a remarkable achievement. Rahane has developed a sound technique against the fast bowlers, and in conditions that are particularly trying, he has become one of India’s most trusted middle-order batter.
Cheteshwar Pujara seems to be the anchor when batting for India, on many occasions he has just been the glue in the Indian middle order. The fact that Cheteshwar Pujara uses his gritty, unyielding style of batting while wearing down opposition bowlers has been a hallmark when India has won its more important Test series, beginning with the 2018 series in Australia and when India won against the West Indies in 2019.
Pujara And Rahane’s Impressive Stats
Ajinkya Rahane
He has been very consistent in Tests, particularly abroad. His ability to deliver under pressure in tough conditions, as seen in the 2020-21 series in Australia, speaks for his caliber as a Test batter.
Matches Played: 85
Total Runs Scored: 5077
Total Centuries: 12
Half-Centuries: 26
Against Australia, Rahane has played 18 matches and scored 1225 this includes 2 centuries 6 half-centuries.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara has been a sound technician with the ability to grind it out for long periods of time, which has been India’s success in Tests. He has shown tremendous resilience by playing through difficult spells, and often he is the anchor when wickets fall around him.
Matches Played: 103
Total Runs Scored: 7195
Centuries: 19
Half-Centuries: 35
Against Australia, Pujara has played 25 matches and scored 2074 runs this includes in 5 centuries and 11 half-centuries.
Will India Miss Rahane And Pujara in BGT 2024-25
While the youngsters coming in is certainly bright side for India, the absence of Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara may leave a gap. While one can’t quite dispute this argument, the fact remains that it forms a significant omission since the testing times may well be there with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy around.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s grit in grinding the bowling units of the opposition into the dust and the calm, and composed Rahane temperament under duress in foreign conditions do provide an unreplaceable value that the tight Test matches seek particularly in close neck to neck competitions.
The real question, as the series progresses, will be whether these younger players can rise to the occasion and perform with the maturity that Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara showed for the team over all these years.
Speaking about the veteran’s absence from the squad, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa came forward and talked about how Pujara still could have been included for the Australia tour.
Robin Uthappa reflects on India’s squad in the BGT 2024-25 stating that Cheteshwar Pujara still has a place in the Indian Team
Former cricketer Robin Uthappa believes that the Indian team management missed the trick by not picking veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara in the squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test series against Australia. He suggested that the visitors don’t have anyone who can play the anchor’s role in the tough Australian conditions.
Uthappa opined that India must find a way to add Pujara to the Test team or find his successor soon. On his YouTube channel, he said :
“There is still a place for a player like Cheteshwar Pujara. According to me, a place for him will have to be made in this team as soon as possible. It’s a need.”
It is worth mentioning that Pujara played a pivotal role in India winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy during their last visit to Australia in 2020-21. He notched up three half-centuries and finished with 271 runs from eight innings.
Uthappa pointed out that most batters from India’s BGT 2024-25 squad play aggressively. Reckoning that someone like Cheteshwar Pujara would have been a valuable addition to the batting lineup for the tour, he added :
“We have mostly aggressive batters from No. 1 to No. 6. We need someone like Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahul Dravid, Kane Williamson and Will Young. We always need someone who can become an anchor and hold one end up and all the other batters can bat around him.”
India suffered an unprecedented whitewash in their recently concluded three-match home Test series against New Zealand. They now need to win the five-match Test series in Australia by a 4-0 margin to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC 2023-25) final on their own.
Robin Uthappa shares his views on Ravichandran Ashwin
In the aforementioned video, Robin Uthappa also stated that Team India will heavily rely on their seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the BGT 2024-25. He mentioned that Ashwin will play a key role for the visitors alongside pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Uthappa added :
“This is just a very temporary form from Ravichandran Ashwin. I think he is an absolute legend of the game and he is as important to India as Nathan Lyon and Anil Kumble for Australia and India, respectively. India’s success will depend a lot on Bumrah, Ashwin, Shami, if he will be fit, and one or two other fast bowlers.”
The Test series opener between India and Australia is set to be played in Perth from November 22.