VVS Laxman chooses Cheteshwar Pujara over Rohit Sharma for Test matches

VVS Laxman says Rohit Sharma is a match winner in all three formats 

Former India batsman VVS Laxman has said given a choice he would pick Cheteshwar Pujara over Rohit Sharma for Test matches.Both batsmen in their late 20s are looking to grab a spot in the playing XI in the first Test against New Zealand which will start from Thursday. But if captain Virat Kohli persists with his theory of having five bowlers then one of them will have to sit out the game.

Rohit’s small fling with the longest format of the game has not seen him scoring as many runs as he has done in the limited over games. Laxman, however, still believes he has the "talent and ability to single-handedly win matches in any format".

But given a choice, Laxman told TOI that he would pick Pujara in the playing XI since he has been in a rich vein of form lately."Rohit has to get his gameplan right in Tests. You can see in ODIs or T20s, his consistency has a lot to do with the conviction with which he approaches each innings. He lacks that belief in the longer format," Laxman said.

"Given a choice, I would select Pujara. The number of runs he has made in the Duleep Trophy (453 runs in 3 innings at an average of 226.5) has made his inclusion a certainty. He is the perfect candidate to slot in at No. 3."

Laxman was also full of praise for Karnataka top-order batsman KL Rahul who now has centuries in all three formats of the game."The amount KL Rahul has grown in stature over the past year is incredible. His entire body language has changed.”

"I think it has a lot to do with Virat Kohli, whose positivity seems to have rubbed off on him since joining RCB in the IPL," he said. "I think he (Rahul) will sneak in ahead of Shikhar (Dhawan). He has been in such terrific form that it is essential to include him across all formats."

The 41-year-old belonged to a generation of Indian batsmen known for being merciless against spinners. But in the recent past, India have had problems tackling turn and bounce but Laxman did not want to be too critical about the problems.

"When we were growing up, every domestic team had a few quality spinners. Unfortunately, the country is not producing as many spinners these days, so there is less opportunity to practice against quality spinners. It has a lot to do with the amount of limited-overs cricket that we are playing these days, especially T20s. Improved bats and more powerful strikers mean any bowler who is scared to get hit becomes defensive.”