IND vs WI Test: Cementing his place for 13 years, Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped for another time from India's Test squad. The mainstay at No.3, Pujara took the baton of the wall of India beautifully from the original rightsholder Rahul Dravid. A 103 Test veteran, Pujara, has given the most focus to the No.3 slot, where he played 94 matches.
But the 35-year-old from Gujarat has been dropped from India's Test squad - the only format he plays after India's debacle in the WTC final. With India looking at the new cycle, selectors have called up new faces to fill the big shoes left by Pujara.
Let's see who can come in to bat at No.3 for India in the Windies Test
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal: The Uttar Pradesh Southpaw is being touted as the front-running choice to take Pujara's spot in Tests. He has shown his mettle in domestic cricket as well as in the Indian Premier League.
Jaiswal's numbers in first-class cricket speak volumes. In 15 matches, he has hit 1845 runs at 80.21 with 9 hundreds and 2 fifties to his name. Jaiswal's IPL numbers present a favourable story as well. While his overall IPL records might be modest, to say the least, his IPL 2023 was a terrific one. Overall, Jaiswal has hit 1172 runs in 37 IPL games at 32.56 on average. But in IPL 2023, the uncapped Indian amassed 625 runs in 14 games at a 48.08 average.
2. Shubman Gill: It might sound naive to take an opener of the calibre of Gill down to number 3. Given his run at the top in all three formats and his consistent appearance as an opener, Gill shall be an automatic pick with Rohit Sharma to kickstart the innings. But he has played for India A in the middle order and has also smashed a double century in the West Indies A Test tour.
This can tempt the management to keep Gill for 3 and provide another partner to Sharma.
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad: The other option in the tally is Maharashtra's Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has had a brilliant season with Chennai Super Kings in the title-winning IPL 2023 campaign. On the back of his 590-run season, Gaikwad was included in the squad for the Windies Tour.
His numbers in first-class cricket aren't that huge but he averages over 40 in the 28 games he has played in. Gaikwad has scored 1941 runs and has 6 tons and 9 half tons to his name.
These youngsters provide a door for the Indian team to find newer faces for the future. But it is still not over for Pujara, who is currently featuring in the Duleep Trophy and is grinding hard for his way back into the team. Sources earlier stated that doors are not closed on Pujara and he can still make a way back into the team. Whether this happens or the youngsters make their mark to be hard to remove, is a thing time will tell.
