The best substitute for Virat Kohli may have been Cheteshwar Pujara: Karsan Gharvi

The administration removed Cheteshwar Pujara from the Indian team following the 2023 World Test Championship final. Shubman Gill was observed filling Pujara’s number three position in the team, while Yashasvi Jaiswal was requested to open, with the intention of giving the young players more opportunities. Conversely, Pujara went back to playing domestic cricket and put in a lot of effort to regain his form. With six games played in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, the experienced hitter has amassed 673 runs, good for fourth place in the tournament’s run scoring.

The Indian team is currently having problems in the meantime. For personal reasons, star batsman Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the England series, while KL Rahul will also miss the third Test in Rajkot. With the series tied at one right now, it is disconcerting that the hosts currently have an inexperienced middle order. Speaking on the subject, former cricketer Karsan Gharvi said that Pujara could have been the ideal Virat substitute and that the Rajkot native ought to have been included in the team right from the opening Test.

“The decision to bench Cheteshwar Pujara is beyond me. He ought to have been a member of the Indian squad from the very first Test. It was first revealed that Virat Kohli would not be playing in the first two Tests, and now it is official that he will not be playing in the final three Tests. The Times of India cited Gharvi as adding, “Cheteshwar was not only the greatest replacement but the greatest player they should have included.”

“He is very much in good shape, he is still fighting, and even if he comes back, I won’t be surprised,” Karsan Gharvi continued.

Given that Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan are anticipated to make their debuts, Rajat Patidar is probably going to stay in the starting lineup. Sarfaraz is probably going to take Shreyas Iyer’s spot, while White Jurel is going to replace KS Bharat.