Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara was one of the architects behind India’s 188-run victory over Bangladesh in the opening Test at Chattogram.
Batting at No. 3, Pujara registered scores of 90 and 102 not out, scripting India’s win and an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.
Impressed with his performance, former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said Pujara continues to be the glue in the Indian Test batting line-up and the team is not ready to lead a life without him.
"It's Cheteshwar Pujara, that's how he is. Come what may, whatever the odds are, he will go out and give his very best. Indian Test batting still needs Pujara," Manjrekar said while speaking to Sony Sports.
"You saw the form of KL Rahul, you saw the form of Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill, fortunately, got a big one in the 2nd innings. But against stronger oppositions, especially when going away from India (you need him).
"They had to call him back, after he was not picked for the home series (against Sri Lanka), they had to call him back for that one-off Test.
"So this was again a reminder that Indian cricket has not reached that stage where they can dispense with somebody like Pujara. They need that Pujara glue to hold the innings together," he added.
Pujara lost his place in the Test side after an extended lean patch earlier this year. He was dropped for the home series against Sri Lanka in February-March.
However, Pujara reclaimed his place in the team after scoring 1094 runs in 8 matches in the County Championship for Sussex.
According to Manjrekar, young Shubman Gill can be an option at No. 3 in the future but India need Pujara’s services in that spot at the moment.
"It's all about current form. When Virat Kohli gets to the top of his game, when Rohit Sharma is back and getting back to some form and KL Rahul becomes more consistent, when all those batters are doing well, may be then you can think of looking beyond Pujara and may be give Shubman Gill opportunities at No. 3 in the future.
"For the moment, you will see, if Rohit comes back, there is no way India are going to leave out Pujara," he stated.
The second Test between India and Bangladesh will be played at Dhaka from December 22.
