Lalchand Rajput believes dropping Cheteshwar Pujara is a ‘positive move’ | Cricket News – Times of India

Former India player and coach Lalchand Rajput has expressed his support for the BCCI Selection Committee’s decision to exclude Cheteshwar Pujara from the Test side for the upcoming West Indies tour. Rajput referred to this move as a “positive step” aimed at nurturing and developing young players for the next ICC World Test Championship cycle, scheduled from 2023-25.
Pujara, a seasoned player with over 100 Test appearances, was not included in the Indian Test squad for the West Indies tour commencing on July 12.This decision followed Pujara’s subpar performance in the World Test Championship final against Australia, where he failed to meet expectations.
As a result of their consistent performances in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been recognized and rewarded with their maiden Test call-ups. This indicates that the selectors and team management are keen on providing opportunities to talented young players and injecting fresh energy into the Test squad.”It is a positive move. We have to prepare for the next WTC cycle. You have to bring in youngsters slowly. You have to groom them, ease them into the rigours of international cricket. Hopefully, more young players will be given chances to represent the country. Ruturaj and Jaiswal have made a lot of runs. It (Giving them Test caps) will boost your bench strength,” said Rajput in an interview with ANI.
Regarding Sarfaraz Khan being overlooked despite consistent form with the bat in domestic circuit, Rajput said, “If he has been making runs but still not getting chances after three years, there must be some reason. I do not know what the reason is, but he should have been given a chance.”
Sarfaraz has been in exceptional form in his first-class cricket career over the past few seasons. The powerful right-handed batsman has amassed an impressive total of 3505 runs in 37 matches, averaging a remarkable 79.65 with 13 centuries to his name. His highest individual score in domestic cricket stands at an unbeaten 301.

Regarding the upcoming ODI World Cup in India, Rajput expressed his belief that the hosts would feel the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah if he is unable to participate due to injury. However, he also acknowledged that Team India would have the advantage of playing on home soil during the tournament.
The schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 was announced recently, revealing that India will commence their campaign against Australia in Chennai on October 8. They will face their arch-rivals Pakistan in Ahmedabad on October 15.
The tournament is set to begin on October 5 and will conclude on November 19.
Rajput predicted India, England, Australia and anyone from Pakistan or South Africa as his World Cup semi-finalists.

“India has the advantage of playing at home. We hope India wins. Our bowling will be better if Bumrah recovers. We will miss him sorely if he is ruled out through injury. He gives you overs early in the game, in the middle and at death and can get you wickets in any phase of the match,” said Rajput in an interview with ANI.
According to sources at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, Bumrah is said to be making steady progress in his recovery from a stress fracture in his back.
In April, Bumrah underwent surgery on his lower back while in New Zealand. While his recovery seems to be progressing well, the exact timeline for his return to the field remains uncertain at this point.
The sources revealed that Bumrah is currently bowling five to seven overs per day during his rehabilitation sessions at the NCA. They further mentioned that he is expected to participate in a practice match at the NCA in July.
Bumrah’s rehabilitation process is being closely monitored by Ramji Srinivasan, India’s former strength and conditioning coach.
The talented bowler has been sidelined since September 2022 due to his back injury, causing him to miss the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia as well as the Indian Premier League 2023.
On Zimbabwe’s amazing performances in ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, Rajput, who is also the Technical Director of Zimbabwe Cricket, said the team was looking for consistency and years of effort are finally paying off.

“The team is doing well, boys are up to the challenge. We were always looking for consistency. In these Qualifiers, batters are performing consistently, like Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza and wicketkeeper-batter Joylord Gumbie. The way Sean is batting is excellent. What we can say about Raza? He is on a purple patch with both bat and ball, gives the team breakthroughs at the right time,” said Rajput.
“The way they are playing, they can upset at least one team. If we qualify for the World Cup, we can give good competition to the big teams and even stage an upset. We have the momentum with. We defeated Pakistan in the T20 World Cup last year.”
“We have good bowlers in Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava. We have good spinners too. We are a balanced side,” said Rajput.

(AI image)
Zimbabwe are undefeated in the ongoing ICC World Cup qualifiers.
(With agency inputs)