Cricket
Exclusive: Karsan Ghavri wants BCCI selectors to consider Cheteshwar Pujara for Australia tour
Former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri urges BCCI selectors to consider Cheteshwar Pujara for the upcoming Australia tour. Pujara's experience and past performances against Australia make him a strong contender for the Test series.
Image Credits: Steve Bardens/Getty Images
India will tour Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after four years. The contest, now a five-Test affair, starts on November 22 in Perth. It is already a talking point among the Aussies as they are still healing from the consecutive losses at home in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane were the winning captains in the last two editions Down Under. This time, Rohit Sharma will lead the charge, and it remains to be seen if he will push the selectors to recall Cheteshwar Pujara, the batter who dominated the Aussie bowlers and played a major role in securing victory Down Under for two consecutive tours.
Pujara vs Australia
Pujara, India's then No. 3, blunted the Aussie attack in 2018-19. The old-school approach exhausted the bowlers. The right-hander finished with 521 runs, including three centuries. He faced 1,258 deliveries in four Tests; the most by any Indian batter in a series in Australia.
Two years later, he managed only 271 runs but the three fifties he scored were game-changing knocks. The 56 off 211 balls in the fourth and final Test at Brisbane, while Rishabh Pant sent the bowlers on a leather hunt, provided balance to the run chase.
Image Credits: Gareth Copley-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Pujara has fallen off the radar since India's loss to Australia in the World Test Championship final in 2023. He was dropped from the tour of West Indies, South Africa and the series against England earlier this year. In his absence, the spotlight has been on Shubman Gill as India's new No. 3.
Why does India need Pujara?
Former India international Karsan Ghavri, who toured Australia in 1977-78 and 1980-81, batted for the inclusion of Pujara in the high-profile series for his experience. "When you tour England or Australia, you require a few experienced players, who have already played in those conditions a couple of times before in a Test series. Red-ball cricket is a different cup of tea altogether. It is not a T20 or a 50-over game where you need to have a go at the bowler. Pujara can hold one end and keep scoring runs, not necessarily hitting every ball but rotating the strike and staying on the wicket," Ghavri told Sportsboom on Wednesday.
As long as you occupy the crease, you get runs. Pujara has that temperament and technique
Karsan Ghavri
The BCCI selection committee has been looking to blood youngsters in Test cricket. Pujara, 36, doesn't have many years ahead, but Ghavri comes from a different thought. "Age is just a number. As long as somebody is fit, and can do the job, you can't find a better player than Pujara."
Pujara's impressive stats
Pujara has 7,195 runs in 103 Tests at an average of 43.60. He has 19 tons and 35 fifties under his belt. Recently, the batter scored 501 runs for Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship in the United Kingdom. "He has played more than 100 Test matches. His experience will come in handy in Australia. The BCCI selectors will have to give it a thought as it involves five Test matches, and not two or three," he said.
The 73-year-old veteran, who appeared in 39 Tests and 19 ODIs for India, is also excited to watch youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, who piled up 712 runs against England in the five-match series at home this year. "Jaiswal is the star of tomorrow. He is not afraid of playing shots. He will be a good inclusion in Australia. If he gets an opportunity and scores runs, he can establish himself further in the longer format," Ghavri signed off.
Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya is a cricket journalist based in India who takes a keen interest in stories that unfold on and off the field. His expertise lies in news writing, features and profiles, interviews, stats, and numbers-driven stories. He has also worked as a podcaster and talk show host on cricket-related shows on YouTube and Spotify.