[Watch] Cheteshwar Pujara working hard on fitness after being dropped from Indian Test squad
Out of favor Test specialist batter Cheteshwar Pujara is currently working hard to maintain his fitness with regular morning workout routines at his home. He played for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia in early June.
Pujara returned with knocks of 14 and 27, which India lost by 209 runs. The selectors decided to move on from him by dropping him for the ongoing two-match series against West Indies.
Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal replaced him in the playing XI and has impressed everyone with a century and half-century in consecutive innings against West Indies.
Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara went back to the domestic circuit and plied his trade for West Zone in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. Across two games, he hit 185 runs, including a patient match-winning 133-run against Central Zone in the second innings of the semifinal.
Pujara took to his official Instagram handle recently and shared a video to give fans a glimpse of his workout routine during his time off from the field. He captioned:
"Morning routine when at home 🙌"
You can watch the video below:
"Difficult for Cheteshwar Pujara to make a comeback into the Indian team": Wasim Jaffer
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer opined that it would be an uphill task for Pujara to make a comeback into the Indian Test side, considering the number of alternative options available at the moment. During a media interaction, Jaffer gave his views on the matter, saying:
"I feel it will be difficult for Cheteshwar Pujara to make a comeback into the Indian team going forward. You have to look forward to younger players and fresh faces in the new World Test Championship cycle. Shreyas Iyer will come back and possibly Rishabh Pant will too at some point. Now you have Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as well. So I feel it will be difficult for Pujara to make a comeback."
Jaffer lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal's growth in the last few years, and affirmed the southpaw's longer run in the Test team.
"It is a dream start for Yashasvi and I feel he is on the right track. I have known him since 2013-14 but the way he has progressed in the past one-and-a-half years, it has been phenomenal.
Do you agree with Wasim Jaffer's views? Sound off in the comments section.