Former batter Cheteshwar Pujara recently named a playing XI of his India teammates. Pujara’s last international match was the 2023 WTC final against Australia. The right-handed batter, who made his debut in 2010, is considered one of the best willow holders of the modern era, scoring 7195 runs from 103 games, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties.
Pujara named Rahul Dravid as an opener alongside Virender Sehwag in his playing XI. After Dravid retired from international cricket in early 2012, the Saurashtra batter was roped in to fill the spot, which he did with great dedication for close to a decade.
Pujara didn’t name Rohit Sharma or Ajinkya Rahane in his XI. Rahane is a surprising omission considering both shared key partnerships.
He slotted himself at his preferred number three slot with Sachin Tendulkar batting at four. Ex-India captain Virat Kohli was kept at number five, followed by VVS Laxman at number six. Cheteshwar made his debut as a replacement for Laxman in Bengaluru against Australia after the Hyderabad-based legend had injured himself in the previous game.
Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni ignored
Rishabh Pant was preferred over MS Dhoni for the wicketkeeper’s slot. Both Pant and Pujara were key members of the Indian side that won the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia in 2020/21 and added important runs during the matches in Sydney and Brisbane.
Speaking about the spinners, Pujara named Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the role. Ashwin retired in late 2024 after playing 106 Tests and claiming 537 wickets. Jadeja recently claimed his 350th Test wicket during the tour of Sri Lanka.
jasprit bumrah and Mohammed Shami are the two pacers, while Ishant Sharma was named the 12th man. Bumrah and Shami, along with Ishant and Umesh Yadav, were a key part of India’s bowling attack from 2018 to 2023.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s best teammate XI
Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma (12th Man).