Sourav Ganguly feels that the selectors should have a clear idea about Cheteshwar Pujara's future in the Indian cricket team. Pujara was not part of India's Test squad's upcoming West Indies tour when the selectors announced a much-changed Indian team on June 23.
Pujara's exclusion has split the cricket fraternity with many questioning the selectors and management for no official update on whether the veteran batter was dropped or given rest. Pujara has been India's premier no.3 batter in Tests for years with over 7000 runs in 103 matches. But his performance in the World Test Championship final, 41 runs across two innings, and with just one fifty in his last 10 Test innings put him under the scanner.
India's 209-run loss in the WTC final forced the selectors to drop Pujara for the West Indies tour. But there was no official statement from the management whether Pujara will return in future Tests.
Ganguly pressed this issue and said the selectors should communicate with Pujara and have a clear idea of his future. The former BCCI president also said that they can't drop Pujara and pick him again to drop again.
"Selectors should have a clear idea about him (Cheteswar Pujara). Do they need him to play Test cricket anymore or do they want to continue with youngsters, and communicate with him. Somebody like Pujara can't be dropped, then picked, dropped again, and then picked. Same with Ajinkya Rahane also," Sourav Ganguly said to PTI.
Pujara, 35, is included in the West Zone squad for the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2023 and will be eager to prove a point. In his absence, the management has included Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad in India's Test squad for the two-match series starting on July 12 at Dominica's Windsor Park.
