Is Cheteshwar Pujara's career at an end? After underwhelming in the World Test Championship final, the 35-year-old experienced batsman was left out of India's selection for the two-Test series against the West Indies that begins on July 12. With the Indian team anticipated to undergo some sort of transition during the upcoming WTC cycle, Pujara, who made his way back to the Indian Test team after being dropped in January 2022 thanks to a string of standout performances for Sussex in the County Championship, may be gone for good.
There's no reason to think Cheteshwar Pujara has played his final match for India if Ajinkya Rahane's Test career can get a new lease on life.
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According to a report, Pujara's chances of rejoining the Indian team haven't completely vanished, though. Regarding the possibility of Pujara rejoining the Test team, a BCCI insider said the batter will have to put up a fight. Pujara was batting brilliantly for Sussex at the time the most of Indian players were competing in the IPL, ripping off back-to-back hundreds against Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Pujara was, however, out for just 14 and 27 by the Aussies, despite having played so much cricket at The Oval and gaining a lot of experience over the past year.
The legendary Test batting order of India, which consists of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Pujara, is in its mid-30s, therefore the selectors must develop the next generation of cricketers to advance Indian cricket. Surprisingly, Ajinkya Rahane, whose Test career was given a chance when he was selected to play against Australia in the WTC final, took advantage of his chance by scoring 89 and 46, and riding the high of The Oval, was elevated to vice-captaincy. Therefore, there is no need to think that Pujara has played his final match for India if Rahane's Test career may be given a new lease on life.
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"If Ajinkya Rahane cane be made vice-captain of the Test team after being out for 15 months before WTC final, anyone can make a comeback. The doors aren't closed on any senior player. It's just that you need to start transitioning somewhere. The selectors don't want a situation where all seniors quit the scene in one go and we don't have anyone experienced left in the dressing room," a BCCI source told.
The vice-captaincy of Rahane and Pujara's exclusion from the India Test team against the Windies weren't the only things to note. People are having a hard time accepting the fact that Sarfaraz Khan was excluded and Ruturaj Gaikwad was given preference over him. In addition, Navdeep Saini is back in the lineup, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, and Gaikwad receive their first calls to duty. The fact that India selected Kohli, Rohit, Jadeja, and Ashwin may be a sign that the seasoned players still have much to contribute.
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