Had Cheteshwar Pujara been in the team, it is possible India might have won the recent series in England.

Once skipper Shubman Gill decided he was batting at No. 4, there was need for experience and resilience one slot above. India lacked a No. 3 capable of the long innings, someone who allowed their many stroke players to bat around him displaying neither ego nor envy. It might have been an imaginative selection. Admittedly, Pujara was 37, and his batting had been on the decline, despite two centuries and an average of 62 for Sussex.

At any rate, it is easy to be wise after the event, and Pujara had already taken the well-trodden route from pitch to commentary box. But it is an intriguing might-have-been. Sometimes picking a 16-year-old is seen as an inspired selection; there aren’t too many at the other end of the scale.

The late Bobby Simpson, recalled at 41, led Australia to a series win against India. Cyril Washbrook, then 41 and an England selector, was picked against Australia and scored 98 commenting drily, “another two would have done no harm.” England won.

Traditional role

Pujara and his predecessor Rahul Dravid reinforced the traditional role of the No.3, the one batting slot largely unaffected by the demands of T20 cricket. In the line-up, that position is the one associated with efficiency rather than style, pragmatism rather than romance.

Walter Hammond, he of the silken cover drive, and occasionally the likes of Joe Root and Viv Richards have batted at three but Kumar Sangakkara, tough as nails, made the most runs from that position. He was the ideal modern No. 3 — left-handed, capable of both the long, defensive innings (he had 11 double centuries including a triple) and the short attacking one, and a superb reader of the game situation.

Garry Sobers made the then world record score of 365 at No. 3, as did Brian Lara who broke that record. It was the home of men like Don Bradman (who averaged over 100 there), and Ricky Ponting, whose wickets were most priced by the opposition, and who had the range and skill to knuckle down in defence or build on a good opening stand so those who followed found life easier.

Psychologically crucial

Possibly because the No. 3 tended to be the one controlling the innings, many of them have led their countries. Some have even opened the innings in emergencies — the theory (mistaken) being that if you are good enough to come in at the fall of the first wicket in the first over, then you are good enough to open. This ignores the fact that No. 3 is not merely a physical position, an arithmetical necessity, but a psychologically crucial one calling for a set of unique attributes including the ability to anchor or accelerate as the situation demands.

Both Dravid and Pujara have opened, the former adding 410 with Virender Sehwag against Pakistan, and the latter carrying his bat against Sri Lanka, remaining unbeaten on 145 at the end of the innings.

Perhaps I exaggerated earlier about having Pujara in England. What we needed was someone Pujara-like, willing to take the body blows, frustrate bowlers and viewers alike. That last is merely a public perception, and like many such, is incorrect.

Pujara had a better strike rate than David Boon and Neil Harvey of Australia, England’s Dennis Compton and around the same as Desmond Haynes of the West Indies, and New Zealand’s Martin Crowe, all renowned for their stroke play and quick scoring. Pujara’s first responsibility was to set the house in order before stepping out for fancy furniture and decorative lamps as it were.

Pujara belonged to one of the two strains of Indian batsmanship. There is the wristy magician, exemplified by Gundappa Vishwanath, Mohammed Azharuddin and V.V.S. Laxman, and the stout-hearted defensive rock in the line of Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid. He lacked the grace of the former and the technical finesse of the latter, but his heart was as big as that of anybody who played for India.

During his 103-Test career, he was the obvious answer to the question often asked: Whom would you like to bat for your life?

Published – August 27, 2025 12:30 am IST

Josh Hazlewood of Australia celebrates dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara of India during day four of the second match in the Test series between Australia and India at Perth Stadium on December 17, 2018 in Perth, Australia.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Josh Hazlewood seemed happy with the pitch on offer here at the Optus Stadium. “I love playing here in Perth, the wicket is always a nice one to bowl pace on, bouncy, perhaps a few cracks later in the game. The first Test of the summer is always exciting,” the Australian speedster said in the lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series commencing here on Friday.

There is a quiet hunger in the squad to wrest the trophy back as Australia has often emerged second best to India since the 2016-17 series and Hazlewood reiterated that: “There are a lot of guys in the shed who have never beaten India in a Test series. There are only a couple of us from the series we won 2-0 way back in 2014-15. So everyone is really determined.”

Sigh of relief

The lanky pacer is also relieved that Cheteshwar Pujara is missing from the Indian ranks: “I am pretty happy that Puj isn’t here. He is one that bats time and you really earn his wicket. There are always young fresh guys coming into the Indian team, and whoever they pick in that eleven, they are unbelievable players.”

Hazlewood, however, refused to read too much into India’s 0-3 Test series loss against New Zealand: “Professional players can put those losses on the back burner fairly quickly. I guess being out of India they might be able to relax a bit more and not be under the hype of a home Test. I think they will be hungry and ready to go.”

Asked about plans against Rishabh Pant, Hazlewood replied: “With players like that you have always got Plan A which is the top of off stump, then you have got Plan B and C if things go south and Rishabh gets on a roll.”

Saurashtra player Cheteshwar Pujara during a practice session at Sri Ramakrishna College cricket grounds in Coimbatore on Thursday, ahead of the Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu from Friday.
| Photo Credit: Periasamy M

Ranji Trophy has an old-world charm and a present-day purpose. It is a tournament with a 90-year history, is played in Test whites with a red cherry, at grounds quaint and modern, across the length and breadth of this gigantic country.

It also occupies a prime position in the supply chain that feeds Indian cricket, especially the longer format. The sheer number of runs a batter scores or the bucketload of wickets a bowler takes are impossible to ignore, as seen recently in the ascent of Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan, Madhya Pradesh’s Rajat Patidar and the Bengal pace duo of Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep.

From Friday, hundreds of cricketers will take the field with these very hopes as this year’s edition begins with 38 teams split across the Elite and Plate divisions. Old warhorses like Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha and Cheteshwar Pujara, the red and white-ball straddlers like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, and a battery of young and fledgling cricketers will be eager to show their worth.

But their first test will be to deal with the competition’s tweaked format this season. To ensure that matches, especially in northern and eastern India, aren’t disrupted by the winter fog, Ranji Trophy has been split into two phases, with the first five rounds running until November 16, and the last two rounds and the knockouts slated to begin from January 23, 2025.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 overs) will be sandwiched in between, presenting a unique challenge of switching from red ball to white and back to red in a short time. Where players will get a respite, however, is in the spacing between games. Against the standard three-day gap in 2023-24, the break is set to progressively increase this time around.

Among the biggest beneficiaries will be the fast bowlers. With India set to tour Australia for a gruelling five-Test series beginning November 22, pacers are prized commodities. The form and fitness of the lanky Karnataka speedster Prasidh Krishna will be keenly observed while it remains to be seen if Mohammed Shami, who hasn’t played since the 2023 World Cup final against Australia because of an ankle injury, chooses a Ranji game for Bengal to mark his competitive return.

It is said that Ranji Trophy is more followed than watched. The fact that it runs parallel to the Indian national team’s home season means players will be forced to compete for attention. But importance and relevance are not something the tournament lacks. It is like a timeless piece of art that doesn’t need repeated explanations.

Hanuma Vihari, part of India’s back to back series wins in Australia, reckons the services of veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara will be dearly missed when the team aims for a hat-trick Down Under later this year.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Hanuma Vihari, part of India’s back to back series wins in Australia, reckons the services of veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara will be dearly missed when the team aims for a hat-trick Down Under later this year.

The five Test series begins in Perth from November 22. Out of favour Pujara was the leading run-getter in the 2018-19 series with 521 off 1258 balls and was once again the backbone of Indian batting three years later when he accumulated 271 runs off 928 balls.

Across the two teams, the 103-Test veteran by far faced the number of balls to wear out the opposition attack comprising Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

As another Border-Gavaskar Trophy is on the horizon, Vihari wondered who can play Pujara’s role this time around.

“Pujara will a big miss. he was the backbone of the batting line-up in the last two series for Team India. He took blows, he batted time, he stayed there for a long time, he saw the new ball, he got runs. He made the job easier for the other batters coming in,” Vihari told PTI in an interaction arranged by JioCinema.

“So that kind of role… who will play is a question mark for me. Currently I would say we have an attacking mode of a batting line up (the top six). All like to play their shots. Virat is the only one I feel in that batting line up who can be like a glue to the other batters.

“He can stay on and bat the most number of overs and you know batting in Australia is all about time. If you see off the new ball, it gets a little easier with the older Kookaburra ball,” added Vihari who played the last of his 16 Tests in July 2022.

In the absence of Pujara, he also sees a significant role for K L Rahul at number six. He feels Risabh Pant is best suited at number five. Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli form the top four.

“That’s where KL Rahul’s role also will be important because he is someone who’s got the experience in playing in SENA countries and he can bat long. He has done well in SENA countries. I feel they are looking at KL Rahul at number 6 as well.

“By playing Rahul ahead of Sarfaraz in the current series (against Bangladesh), they are looking at a bigger picture. They want experience in number 6 when we tour Australia.

“Because in Australia playing at 6 you need to have good technique whether it’s facing the second new ball or batting after an early collapse,” he said.

Vihari also thinks playing Australia in their own backyard will be the biggest thus far for Jaiswal, who has done well at home but is yet to prove himself in overseas conditions.

“It’s his biggest test. But he’s a very confident guy. Overall facing Australia in Australia, the mental preparation is key. This time we are playing five Test matches in Australia compared to four earlier.

“So it’s even more mentally draining Down Under because everything is against you. The media is against you, the people are against you and you are away from home facing Australian attack in Australia,” added Vihari, who stitched a match saving stand with R Ashwin in the Sydney Test on the previous tour.

Cheteshwar Pujara returned to Sussex for the third successive time in 2024.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

India Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara will not return to Sussex for next year’s County Championship after the English club side opted to relieve him to retain the services of Australian Daniel Hughes.

The left-handed Hughes will be available for all Championship and T20 Vitality Blast matches next season. The club also announced that West Indies right-arm fast bowler Jayden Sales will play the first block of championship fixtures.

Pujara returned to Sussex for the third successive time in 2024. He played the first seven Championship matches before Hughes’ arrival.

“Taking over from Cheteshwar is not an easy task, but Dan has fitted in brilliantly and we are all delighted he will be back for the whole of next season,” Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said in a statement on its official website.

Hughes was the leading run scorer in the group stages of this year’s Blast with 560 runs at an average of 43.07, including five fifties and a highest score of 96 not out.

The Aussie helped Sussex secure a quarter-final against Lancashire Lightning at home on September 4. He will also featured in Sussex’s final five Championship games this season.

“Dan has been top class for us on and off the field. He has brought a wealth of experience to the dressing room and has seriously helped some of our young batters with the development of their games,” Fabrace said.