WTC Final: 3 reasons why Cheteshwar Pujara could be benched against England
Ever since his dismal performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Cheteshwar Pujara has garnered flak from fans, former players, and experts. Such has been the level of criticism that calls for benching the Saurashtra batsman have grown louder.
The scathing criticism is not without reason. Pujara's scores of 8 and 15 in the WTC final were one of the highlights of India's poor batting performance. While Virat Kohli (44 & 13) and Ajinkya Rahane (49 & 15) were pulled up for average performances, it was perhaps Pujara's batting position that put him under the radar.
Now that the WTC final is complete, India will have a month to figure out their game plan against England. The upcoming five-match Test series against Joe Root & co. will surely see some changes being rung. Ahead of the stern challenge, we take a look at why Pujara will face the ax for at least one of the games.
#1 A shot in the arm after his failure in the WTC
Pujara's failure to produce anything substantial in his last three series since 2020 along with a below par performance in the WTC final, will surely be looked at when the squad is picked.
His average of 30.33 is a sharp decline when compared to the 46.09 in 2019. Adding to this, he scored just four fifties in 12 innings in 2021. The last 30 innings have gone by without a century and he has accumulated nine single-digit scores since his last ton.
The lack of big runs will be one of the reasons for India to sit Pujara out.
#2 A chance to work on his flaws
This comes across as debatable. Pujara is one of those batsmen in the world with sound technique. His dismissal piechart, courtesy of Howstat, shows he was out caught for the majority of his innings. The screengrab below shows his mode of dismissal over the years.
#3 A chance for the likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari to make their case
While Pujara's an asset, he's a failing one at the moment and that hampers India's chances of pushing for a winning run in the series against England. His benching is an opportunity for KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari to claw their way back into the side after warming the benches.
The think-tank will be wary of Pujara's average outings, including the WTC final's failures, and will look to try out one of these players in at least one of their Test matches.