Cheteshwar Pujara must avoid going the Sanjay Manjrekar way

As the Indian selectors meet to pick the Test team for the series against Sri Lanka, the position of Cheteshwar Pujara seems most vulnerable. It was the most unlikeliest of scenarios till a couple of years back, when Pujara seemed in unbelievably good nick, and was being hailed as the next 'Wall'. In international cricket, things can change very quickly, and this is what the Saurashtra batsman may have realised. Pujara did not play against Bangladesh as well, with the think tank preferring Rohit Sharma. He was the only possible weak link in the team, and with Rohit being preferred, the doors may be shut on Pujara temporarily.

The change in guard at the top hasn't helped Pujara's cause. While MS Dhoni valued his technical prowess, the new skipper Virat Kohli favours aggression, which Rohit brings to the table, although consistency may not be his forte. If you look at the Indian batting line up, there isn't place for Pujara to be accommodated in the current scenario. He cannot open as well, as they are already three players in the running for the same --Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan. If Rohit occupies one position, then the middle order automatically picks itself with Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and keeper Wriddhiman Saha completing the line up.

Whether or not Pujara is picked for the Lanka Tests, the fact remains that he still needs to work on his batting, which has hit an elongated poor patch in the last couple of years. With his technique and temperament, he was expected to excel in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. Things began on a bright note when he scored big runs in South Africa. But, all began going wrong in New Zealand, and only worsened during the disastrous tours of England and Australia. The manner of his dismissals in England and Australia were clear indications of the fact that Pujara's confidence was at an all-time low.

After a fantastic start to international cricket, Pujara finds himself at that stage of his career, where he is struggling to survive -- a phase which most cricketers go through unless you are a Tendulkar or a Lara. Since technique is so paramount to Pujara's success as a international batsman, there are only two ways he can go from here -- the Sanjay Manjrekar way or the Rahul Dravid way. Both these former Indian batsmen had extremely solid techniques, but while one ended up having an average international career, the other went on to become a legend.

The difference between the careers of Dravid and Manjrekar was that while one modified his game to suit the demands of international cricket, the other got stuck in a mental rut, and by the time he realised where he was going wrong, it was too late in the day. Pujara now finds himself at the crossroads stage from where Dravid and Manjrekar took contrasting paths. It will be a challenge for him to regain his poise and confidence. Like Dravid, he needs to find a middle ground where he can balance technique and the pace of scoring. Dravid has shown that it can be done, so there is no reason to believe that Pujara can't do it. Whether he recovers to become a better batsman is another matter altogether.

--By A Cricket Analyst

Kohli is making a tactical mistake if he not interested in Pujara being in his team.
Aggression will not always help. Ganguly was an aggressive player but yes he preferred RD at the top.Should your forte completely fall,there should be at least one who can resurrect it.
Pujara just might be the option.He will realize soon that he will need him more than ever when they tour Aus & other countries.

Pujara's numbers over the last 2 years have been less than inspiring. His average (34.34) is almost identical to Ian Bell's (31.18). His technique was exposed last summer against England in which he averaged 22.20 in the 5 Test matches with a high score of 55.

To his credit, he took up the challenge of playing county cricket this summer in an effort to improve. He did score a century against Hampshire a fortnight ago, although, to be fair, every man and his dog has seemingly scored a ton against them in recent weeks.  :'( His average prior to this was a meagre 26.2 in 5 innings.

He is currently playing for India A against Australia A. He scored 55 in the first innings and 42 in the second.

www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/892567.html

Yes..He has not been inspiring,but yes he just needs to groom his play.Just a few sessions with RD would do.
He has a brilliant defense technique.He can be an asset,he is just ...going through a bad patch.
Hoping he gets back ..and proves his worth in the squad.We really will need him for the Aus tour next year.

Much like Ian Bell, two years in not a bad patch, it is indicative of a trend. Of what I have seen of Pujara, in both Test match and county cricket, he will score well in India and the subcontinent but struggle when playing in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

This is actually born out in the numbers. At home, he averages 75.23 with 5 centuries in 13 Test matches. Away from home, his average drops all the way to 29.40 with just 1 century in 14 Test matches. That is the reason he has been labelled as a flat track bully.

It remains to be seen whether he can improve against balls swinging around his off stump in foreign conditions. He actually has a similar problem to Gary Ballance in being unsure of his off stump. It will be interesting to see how both fair going forward. Perhaps the solution is just to play him at home.

Pujara didn't fare much better in the second unofficial Test against Australia A as he was dismissed for just 11. Interestingly, he was promoted to opener. Equally as interesting was the appearance of Virat Kohli in the A side. His own poor run of form continues.

Aparajith was the only one impressive.India A shd now play out another day get 250 odd without losing much and make another 150-200 on Day 4 to even draw the match.
Quite an uphill task for this bunch.
Can't help bu Admire the Aussies.They seem to shine everywhere.

Australia cruised to a 10 wicket victory. Another disappointing innings from Pujara as he was run out for just 11. Bancroft is in some kind of form. He has 2 fifties, a 150 and 211 in his last 4 matches. Is he likely next in line to replace Chris Rogers once he retires?