“Cheteshwar Pujara is not known for strokeplay”: Yuvraj Singh names two young batters who can help Team India in Australia
Yuvraj Singh said that the batters must get used to the pace and bounce of Australian pitches to achieve success in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024. He wants the batters to play attacking and defensive cricket when needed during the five Test matches, referring to the performances of Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Cheteshwar Pujara.
However, Pujara is not part of the visiting team, and it will be interesting to see who performs that role.
Rohit Sharma and Gill will miss the series opener, starting on November 22 in Perth. While Rohit is in India with his wife, who gave birth to their second child, Gill fractured his thumb in the practice session.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are the only batters in the top order who have played in Australia in the past. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Abhimanyu Easwaran haven’t faced the senior Australia team Down Under.
“You have to take session by session in red-ball cricket. If you spend time at the wickets in Australia, you can score runs. Last time, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant played aggressively while Cheteshwar Pujara stood at the wicket. Pujara is not renowned for his strokeplay but he is a gusty batter. Batters who can play the shot ball well will have a good chance to score runs. It would be good if you have a mix of everything,” Yuvraj Singh told Mid-day.
“Our batting is strong. Pant and Shubman were among the performers in the previous series in Australia. If we have to win in Australia, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to strengthen the batting line-up. They have to score runs. Pant is crucial at the No.5 slot. He has to play his natural game and attack the bowlers,” he added.
Yuvraj spoke to Gill at home before the three-Test series against New Zealand. The young batter amassed 259 runs from six innings in the last series in Australia.
“I had a conversation with him before the New Zealand series. I told him to prepare just as he did in the last series in Australia. He has much more experience now, and I am sure he will prepare well for the upcoming matches.”
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