AUS vs IND: Why is Team India incomplete without Pujara? One weakness should not spoil the whole game in Australia

By Sandy Verma On Nov 22, 2024

Shubham Mishra. IND vs AUS 1st Test: 521 runs on the Australian tour of 2018. 271 important runs on the 2020-21 tour. The real hero of the historic victory on the field of Gaba. We are talking about Cheteshwar Pujara. The same Pujara who played an important role in breaking Australia's pride not once, but twice. The same Pujara who stood like a rock at the crease despite taking countless balls on his body at Gabba. Be it 2018 or 2020-21 tour, the veteran fast bowlers of the Kangaroo team had to succumb to the high spirits of Pujara. But this time the story of Border-Gavaskar Trophy is different.

Indian selectors have moved on from Pujara and this time Pujara, who is called the wall of Team India, is not a part of the team. Team India started remembering Pujara as soon as they reached Australia. The biggest question before the Indian team management is that who will take on the Kangaroo fast bowlers like Pujara at number three? Which batsman will be there on grounds like Perth, Adelaide, Sydney or Gabba, who will stand at one end? This question has given sleepless nights to the Indian camp, because even before the start of the series, this deficiency is clearly visible in the team's batting order.

Who will fill the void of Pujara?

If we look at the batting order of Team India on Australia tour, the number three position has been kept for Shubman Gill. But Gill has injured himself even before the Perth Test. The team management does not yet have a clear answer as to when Gill will be fit. Devdutt Padikkal has entered the team, who will probably be seen playing at number three, at least in the first Test. But this is Padikkal himself's first tour to Australia. It is very difficult to say whether Padikkal will be able to stand against the waving balls of Kangaroo fast bowlers or not. Padikkal has the experience of playing only one test match. That means, the Indian team will be seen missing Pujara in the very first test of the series.

Cheteshwar Pujara in Australia. (BGT 2014-15, 2018-19, 2020-21) pic.twitter.com/ZCJhwgeVvj
—ThePujaraFanclub_25 (@Pranay_Y2001) February 11, 2024

Let us assume that Shubman Gill becomes fit for the second test match and also plays at number three. But at the number three position, Gill has little to no experience of playing on foreign soil. Will Gill be able to hold his own against the fiery balls of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins? Gill can play attacking cricket and his technique is also strong. But whether Gill will be able to show patience like Pujara in pressure situations or not is a big question in itself. It seems that a great batsman like Pujara can control his composure even after scoring only 10 runs in 100 balls. There are a lot of expectations from Gill, but it will be interesting to see whether he will be able to live up to them or not.

Weakness will trouble you throughout the series

The lack of Pujara is clearly going to hurt the Indian team. The problem of number three can trouble the Indian team throughout the tour. The main reason for this is the Indian batting order being out of form. Runs are not coming from Rohit Sharma's bat. At the same time, the condition of Virat Kohli is also bad. If Kohli had been in form, perhaps there would have been no better batsman than him for the number three position. But the truth is that Virat himself struggles while playing at number three.

In 8 innings played at number three, Virat could score only 167 runs at an average of 23. This time there is not even Ajinkya Rahane in the team, who can take the responsibility of the middle order if Kohli plays. This Test of Australia will not be easy at all for young players like Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurail, Devdutt Padikkal. If Shubman Gill does not hit at number three, then the Indian batting order will be under complete pressure, which will definitely have a direct impact on the outcome of the series.

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