Cheteshwar Pujara might have been the second highest run-scorer for India during the recently held Test series in Australia but it didn’t shield him from criticism. He was slammed for his turtle-paced knock in Sydney by legends such as Ricky Ponting and Allan Border.
However, India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane backed Pujara's playing style on the eve of the second Test against England.
"No one questioned his approach (slow) about his batting in the team and that's what matters. What people talk outside doesn't matter to us. We know Pujara's role and how crucial he is for our team and we are really happy with the way he played in Australia and the way he is playing right now. His role very important for us and we back him completely on how he wants to play. He knows his game really well. he has played 80 odd Test matches. No one questioned his ability or how he played in Australia," Rahane said during the virtual press conference on February 12, as quoted by ANI.
All-rounder Akshar Patel has regained his full fitness and is now available for selection for the second Test. He had missed out on the series opener at Chepauk due to pain in his left knee.
"Everyone is in the mix, the good thing is Akshar is fit to play. See all our spinners are really good and if given a chance I'm sure they will do really well," Rahane stated.
Since Akshar is available for selection, BCCI in a media release on Thursday (February 11) confirmed that spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar have been withdrawn from the main squad.
Team India had suffered a 227-run defeat at the hands of England in the first Test in Chennai.
With this loss, the hosts didn’t only concede a 1-0 lead in the fourth-Test series but also slipped to the fourth spot in World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
The victory at Chepauk saw England moving to the first spot in the WTC table with 70.2 percentage points. If the Joe Root-led side manages to beat India 3-1, 3-0 or 4-0 then they can qualify for the inaugural WTC final, slated to be held at Lord’s from June 18-22.
Meanwhile, India can’t afford another loss in the four-Test series if they are to feature in the summit clash against New Zealand at the Home of Cricket.
(With ANI inputs)
