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'Pujara didn't score for 3 years. Difference with Kohli...': BCCI source's big revelation on India squad for WI Tests
The BCCI source revealed why Kohli, despite having similar poor numbers in Test cricket for the last three years, was not given the same treatment as Pujara.
For a veteran of 103 Tests, getting dropped has always been unusually usual for Cheteshwar Pujara. Perhaps the last from the generation of the quintessential all-grit and less-flamboyance Test batters, Pujara has roughly been dropped from the XI or squad as many as four times in his long Test career of 13 years and every time he has managed to stage a comeback. But the fifth time might be different. It may be a bit too much for even someone as stubborn as Pujara to come back from here on. Fears are greater than before that the fans may have seen the last of Pujara in the Indian Test uniform after the Saurashtra cricketer was dropped from the two-match series against West Indies starting July 12.
After cementing his place in the Indian Test side from the home series against New Zealand in August 2012, the first time Pujara lost his place in the Indian Test XI was when he was benched for the last Test against Australia at Sydney in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2014-15. A year later, he was dropped from the XI again in West Indies when then-captain Virat Kohli was openly critical of Pujara's strike rate.
In the 2018 tour of England, KL Rahul was picked ahead of Pujara in the series opener. Pujara once again made a comeback in the side not only in the series but for the next few years with power-packed performances at home and in two back-to-back tours of Australia, which India won.
The fourth jolt came for Pujara in 2022. He and Ajinkya Rahane both lost their places in the Test squad after a dismal South Africa tour. Pujara, however, went back to County Cricket and played for Sussex. He scored tons of runs and was recalled for the one-off Test against England in 2022 and also got a chance to complete 100 Tests milestone in the series against Australia this year.
But Pujara never quite managed to grab this opportunity with both hands. If his knocks of 90 and 102 against Bangladesh are taken away, he has scored at a poor average of 26 in the last three years and perhaps got a very long rope for non-performance.
Why Virat Kohli survived and Pujara was axed from India's Test squad
"Once he failed in Australia series at home, there was very little chance for him but selectors didn't want to change things ahead of WTC final," a BCCI source in know of things told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"Twin failures at Oval sealed his fate. SS Das was in London for WTC final. He must have had a word with head coach Rahul Dravid and intimated his panel's thought-process post final," the source added.
The source also talked about why Virat Kohli, despite having similar poor numbers in Test cricket for the last three years, was not given the same treatment as Pujara.
"It is a two-year cycle and you can't just make wholesale changes. Pujara hasn't been scoring for three years. The difference between a Virat Kohli and a Pujara has been the rhythm. Yes, Kohli also has had a dry spell but he never looked out of form.
"Pujara never gave you confidence after the Australia tour that he is in rhythm. Intent was also an issue. The two knocks against Bangladesh were hardly of any consequence," the source said.
