England vs India 2018: 3 reasons why Cheteshwar Pujara should be picked in the 2nd Test
The first Test between India and England at Edgbaston was an enthralling encounter which kept the fans on the edge of their seats. India, needing 194 runs to win on a difficult pitch, lost the match by 31 runs.
Despite the Indian bowlers performing exceedingly well and picking up all 20 English wickets, they were let down by the Indian batsman who couldn't negotiate the swing of Anderson, Curran, and Broad and hence collapsed. The only exception was Virat Kohli who scored his first Test hundred on English soil and kept India in the hunt by scoring a brilliant 50 in the second innings.
The most surprising decision taken by Virat Kohli before the start of the match was to drop the ever-dependable Pujara. Having scored 4531 runs in 97 innings at an average of 50.34 and having played County cricket in the summer, Pujara was an automatic choice in the starting XI. Having played in English condition, Pujara's inclusion in the first test match might have averted India's batting collapse.
Let us look at the 3 reasons as to why Pujara should play the second test match.
#3 Has the temperament to play in tough conditions
Pujara is a technically skilled and solid batsman. He has the rare ability to be extremely patient, play as per the situation and conditions and doesn't have the temptation to throw his bat at every ball outside the off-stump. With his style, he has the ability to frustrate even the best bowlers in the business.
He showed his class with the bat against South Africa in the 3rd Test at the Wanderers, when he scored a steady and crucial knock of 50 runs in 179 balls. These runs were scored in a low scoring Test match on an extremely difficult pitch which even left the South African batsmen baffled.
Hence, the above stat and description do constitute a valid reason as to why Pujara should be picked in the second Test.