Cheteshwar Pujara - will he ever play ODIs?

The Indian Premier League has picked up its pace what with almost three teams asserting a claim to the top four positions. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have portrayed their over-dependence on the trio of Gayle, Kohli and DeVilliers and the easiest way to outplay them would be to send the trio packing, which unfortunately, none of the teams have managed successfully till date.

While they have struggled to find a partner for Gayle throughout the last two seasons, they would finally be relieved to procure the services of Pujara, who returned back from injury with a majestic half-century, an innings that had class and poise stamped all over it. It would have been extremely satisfying for him as he proved to his detractors that he can handle the shorter formats well too.

Pujara’s strength lies mainly in his ability to grind for runs. It is a telling attribute for any youngster and it provides a platform for him to switch gears at the latter stages of the innings, after having got settled. But that is where his weakness lies as well. In the shorter formats, more often than not, players have perished trying to hit the long ball and when it happens for Pujara, it displays his scorecard in a poor light and hence he is labelled only as a test specialist where he has accumulated runs without the fear of run rate or strike rate.

But Pujara is not just a horse for a single course. He could be a Rahul Dravid in one dayers as well, provided he is given a free pass into the Indian team. The team, as it is, has got no berth empty and if Pujara has to push his case, the opening slot would be the best option. But it could be a disaster if he fails to adopt and it is better to wait for the right opportunity rather than just thrusting him the opening position.

Though Pujara has been labelled a good player of spin bowling, there are certain glitches when  it comes to his method of playing a spinner. In the match against Kings XI Punjab, he was clearly struggling to play against Chawla, trying to step out of the crease ball after ball, only to be rapped on the pads. He has been quite unstable against spinners. One could justify this predicament by citing the demands of the shortest format. But it is not the only time that Pujara has left his ground to tackle a spinner.

In all the tests he has played, he has looked a wee bit uncomfortable when the spinners have dropped the ball in the ‘just-short’ area. Unsure of how to tackle the ball, he has tried to step out of his crease and defend, a ploy that has worked for him. But it has cost him his wicket on quite a few occasions as well. In the 18 test innings that he has played, he has fallen nine times to spinners while the other nine comprises of a run out and eight to fast bowlers.

While these stats do not reveal much about his technique against spinners, I feel that he has always been on the tether. His footwork is shaky at the initial stages though he has managed himself well enough along his short journey in the test arena. But his technique would be tested when he goes through a barren patch and he should be well prepared to work his batting technique into a more solid form as the future of Indian cricket lies on his shoulders along with a few others.

The other minor glitch would be his weakness against short pitched stuff. But he has improved on that front and that gives us hope to realise that he is willing to make the necessary changes to suit the needs.

The selection committee has sadly been cold shouldering the Saurashtrian, not acknowledging his exploits in the shortest formats. That is where the IPL would help him to secure a berth in the Indian one day side, now that Yuvraj Singh has been dropped. India needs a solid middle order and having Pujara would definitely boost our chances in the 2015 mega event.