Who can fill Cheteshwar Pujara’s huge gap for India in BGT 2024?

Indian (IND) Cricket Team is set to begin their huge tour of Australia (AUS) which begins on Friday. One of the players who will be missed during the tour is none other than Cheteshwar Pujara. The 36-year-old was one of the best players for India during the last two tours of Australia which helped India win the series. 

During the 2018/19 tour, Pujara had scored 521 runs with three centuries. His best of 193 came during the Sydney Test match where he got a standing ovation from the crowd. Pujara also scored a terrific ton for India during the Adelaide Test and followed it up with a third ton in Melbourne both of which were won by India. 

The veteran cricketer's main role was to absorb pressure and let other players play their natural game at the other end. In the 2018-19 series, he played 209 overs in four matches, while in 2020-21, he played 154 overs in the same number of matches. 

Australian pace bowler Josh Hazelwood praised Pujara during the press conference on Wednesday. The right-arm pacer said “I am happy that Cheteshwar Pujarais not here. He is obviously someone who bats time and spends a lot of time at the crease and makes you earn his wicket every time. Has done really well in Australia on previous tours”

Shubman Gill or Devdutt Padikkal, Who can reprise Pujara’s role in Australia?

One of the key factors in Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting was his immense concentration levels. That’s one of the traits that according to many cricket experts is lacking in Indian cricket right now. If we cast our minds back to the Sydney and Brisbane Tests in the last tour, Pujara batted like a rock to guide India out of tough situations. 

His legendary battle with Josh Hazlewood is still fresh in the minds of cricket fans. During the Brisbane Test match, Hazlewood bowled short to India’s number 3 batter and hit him all over his body. Despite writhing in pain, Pujara battled on. 

In the current team, Shubman Gill has taken over in the number 3 spot and has done reasonably well so far. The 25-year-old though has been suspect of deliveries that come into him and has bowled while shouldering arms to such deliveries. Pujara knew where his off-stump was and this particular trait is sometimes found missing in Shubman Gill so far in his Test career.

Young Devdutt Padikkal has been asked to stay back in Australia after Gill got injured. The left-handed batter can play the long innings. Padikkal can use the crease well and can grind out the bowlers with his terrific patience while at the crease. Padikkal also can play the seam and spin bowlers well and is more adept at playing well on the bouncy pitches. 

For the current tour of Australia, Shubman Gill is likely to be the number 3 for the long term. Indian team management cannot overlook Devdutt Padikkal who has the mix of old cricketing charm mixed with modern cricketing class to reprise the role of Cheteshwar Pujara during the course of the tour.