Cheteshwar Pujara is back in the India Test squad for the rearranged 5th Test against England that will be played next month. Pujara was dropped for the home series against Sri Lanka after lack of big runs in Test cricket. While Pujara has played several key knocks over the past couple of years, but he has failed to score a Test century since January 2019. This led to him being axed from the Test team after India loss to South Africa.
Pujara though went to England to play the County Championships and scored loads of runs for Sussex. The weight of his runs was so heavy that the selectors could not ignore him any further and have included him for the Test in England.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif lauded Pujara's determination and skills for going to the County and getting bagful of runs. He also said that Pujara is a great example to follow for young cricketers.
"You can learn so much from Pujara. If you get dropped, what do you have to do as a batter? You go back to County, you go back to Ranji and you score runs and runs and I mean, score tons and tons of runs. He has done that. He's an example for any young player who has been dropped and how to make a comeback. Probably you should go back to Pujara and watch what he has done in the last couple of months. He has been a fantastic player for India also. And I think he'll play No.3 for India," Kaif responded to an NDTV question during a media interaction.
Pujara has been one of India's premier Test batters for several years now. He has scored 6713 runs in 95 Test matches at an average of 43.87. He has scored 18 centuries and 32 fifties in Test cricket.