Former India cricketer and team manager Lalchand Rajput called Cheteshwar Pujara’s exclusion from the Test squad for the West Indies tour a ‘positive move’, as it was aimed at giving youngsters an opportunity to establish themselves at the international stage.
Recently, BCCI had announced the Test squad that would travel to the West Indies for a full tour, starting with the first Test on July 12. The list, however, had Pujara’s name missing. Conversely, upcoming stalwarts Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who proved their worth with heaps of runs in the 2023 Indian Premier League, found spots in the team.
Speaking during an interview, Rajput said, “It is a positive move. We have to prepare for the next WTC cycle. You have to bring in youngsters slowly. You have to groom them, ease them into the rigours of international cricket. Hopefully, more young players will be given chances to represent the country. Ruturaj and Jaiswal have made a lot of runs. It will boost your bench strength.”
Rajput also voiced his opinion about the omission of Sarfaraz Khan, who was yet again overlooked for the tour despite a stellar domestic season. Rajput said, “If he has been making runs, but still not getting chances after three years, there must be some reason. I do not know what the reason is. But he should have been given a chance.”
Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and former India women’s team coach WV Raman had come down hard on BCCI’s treatment of Pujara. While Gavaskar said that Pujara was being made a scapegoat, Raman said that he was not for it.
The decision to leave out Pujara from the Test team may have been due to his performances of 14 and 27 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, which India lost by 209 runs.
Pujara was named in the West Zone team of the Deodhar Trophy.
