There were huge talks that India should have taken Cheteshwar Pujara to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). After all, Pujara has a stellar record in Australia and was a crucial cog in India’s both historic series win Down Under. Pujara, who has been ousted from the national team, has a watertight technique and has scored 993 runs at an average of 47.28 in Australia. However, his focus is still on the coming challenge – the Ranji Trophy.
Pujara to save struggling Saurashtra?
While he was disappointed over the BGT snub, Pujara’s focus is now on helping his state team Saurashtra, the 2022/2023 Ranji Trophy champions, who are in a tricky situation this season. Saurashtra hasn’t won a single game yet, with just one draw and two losses in their first three matches.
The biggest upset for them came against Railways, who beat them by 37 runs in their previous match. Saurashtra couldn’t even beat Chhattisgarh after Tamil Nadu had hammered them with a huge win by an innings and 70 runs.
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Pujara’s own form hasn’t been great either. After starting the Ranji Trophy campaign with 16 & 0, he did score a fantastic 234 against Chhattisgarh. However, in the last game against Railways, Pujara got out extremely early, making just 2 & 3.
The next game against Jharkhand will be of huge importance for Saurashtra. Can Pujara, the veteran batter, save their sinking ship? Or will Jaydev Unadkat, Saurashtra’s captain and leading pacer, continue his superb form to guide the team to their first Ranji Trophy win this season?
Saurashtra’s fate in the prestigious domestic tournament could very well depend on how Pujara performs in the upcoming matches. The experienced campaigner will be keen to bounce back and help his state team get their campaign back on track after a shaky start.
