Cheteshwar Pujara might have just played five ODIs since making his debut in 2013 but former left-arm spinner, Dilip Doshi says he would never leave Pujara out of his ODI team.
Doshi said, someone as strong as Cheteshwar Pujara would be a perfect choice to hold the other end of the strike while a stable batsman can score runs for the team.
“I will not drop a guy like Pujara from my ODI team. I will ask him to hold one end and keep on batting till the 50th over and I think he is quite capable of it,” said Doshi in a chat with Playwrite Foundation.
Along with Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, the right-handed batsman has been India’s mainstay in Test cricket. His solid techniques and consistency at number three gives India the right balance, especially when they tour overseas.
Doshi said it is unfortunate that people call such a high-class batsman like Pujara ‘too slow’. “It hurts me when people call a high-class batsman such Cheteshwar Pujara as too slow,” Doshi added.
Dilip, who played 33 Tests and 15 ODIs, said Test cricket will always be challenging for cricketers. “The emergence of T20 cricket has changed the game completely. I believe every good club cricketer can perform in T20 cricket. For me, Test cricket is a broader canvas. I think it is the lack of application among the modern-day batsmen and that’s the reason they struggle against quality spinners,” said Doshi.
When asked to give a little advice to the young lot of spinners, Doshi said: “I will encourage youngsters to keep tossing the ball and don’t get disheartened of punishment. For batsmen, runs are like supply of oxygen, so just don’t give them the easy runs, try and suffocate them.”
Cheteshwar Pujara was last seen in action in a Test series against New Zealand earlier this year. International cricket for the Indian cricket team has presently been on a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic outburst.
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