Former India cricketer upset over Cheteshwar Pujara's exclusion from India squad against England

The India vs England series is currently going on as India has won the toss and elected to bat first. After 3 quick wickets, the duo of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have got the Indians back on track. India is 93-3 after the first session and will look to add more runs in the next one. There was a lot of talk on whether India will make some changes in the eleven as well. There were 4 changes made with debutants Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan getting their debut in the 3^rd Test as well. The injury of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli missing the series has already come as a shock to the hosts ahead of the Test match.

Though it is good to see some young talent being introduced to the longest format, there were still some cricketers India has not considered. With no Kohli and Rahul, many experts expected Cheteshwar Pujara to come back into the team. Pujara has played 103 games for his national side and has been one of the best Test batters for the Indian side. He has also been in great form in first-class cricket, where he has been scoring big runs in the ongoing Ranji Trophy as well. With these performances, there should have been a chance for Pujara to make a comeback as well.

Karsan Ghavri on Cheteshwar Pujara's exclusion

Former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri who was one of the best all-rounders for India in his time also had a say on Pujara not making it in the squad. Ghavri gave a statement to PTI saying “ Cheteshwar was not only the greatest replacement but the greatest player they should have included." This was said by the legend while bringing up the absence of Kohli and Rahul. Ghavri further stated Pujara’s future in the game as well saying “ He is still fighting, he is still in good form, he is very much in good shape and even if he comes back, I won't be surprised."

The exclusion of Pujara was a bit of a surprise as well. Pujara was not only an established number 3 batter with great technique but also one of the most reliable batters as well. Many great innings in the last two seasons show the class and talent of the player. We don’t know when will Pujara make a comeback into the squad, but we will surely want to see him feature in the Indian team once again. The ability of Pujara to be the classic Test match player has always been a big asset to the team and we would like to see him finally make a comeback.