Cheteshwar Pujara had scored 91 runs in the second innings of the third Test under pressure.
Talks of change in the Indian team have started after the batting line-up collapsed in the third Test against England at Leeds. India's number 3 batsman, Chetehswar Pujara was heavily criticized and he was feeling the pressure before scoring 91 runs on Day 3 of the Headingley Test.
Former India cricketer Zaheer Khan said there can be a change in the team's middle-order for the next Test match at The Oval. A similar performance like Pujara was expected from India's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane but he couldn't deliver when the team needed him the most.
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“Pujara was under pressure but he found a way to get out of that. He did something different and he got the results. Rahane hasn’t been able to do that. I think the series has reached at such a stage where these things would be analyzed. And it’s possible that you can see a change,” Zaheer told Cricbuzz.
India captain Virat Kohli also got a half-century in the second innings of the third Test. He had stitched up a 99 runs partnership with Pujara to lead India's fightback in the match. However, lack of support from other batsmen saw the Indian team getting bundled out on 278 in the second innings.
Having already been humiliated in the first innings after scoring only 78 runs, India lost the match by an innings and 76 runs.
“Two players were under fire. One stepped up and performed but the other doesn’t seem comfortable yet,” Zaheer said on the performance of Pujara and Rahane.
“When you play for a longer period of time, you cannot just be in the team depending on the past performances. You have to meet the continuity. At the same time your role gets changed.
"You don’t just think about your game but need to set an example for the youngsters as a strong middle-order batsman. So, the more you progress in your career, the level of scrutiny also goes up,” he added.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)