Hi Aakash, probably you are right, though personally I would prefer taking the safer route with him and not spoil him with IPL etc at this very early stage of his career.
We have enough of Kohlis and Rohits and Tiwaris and etc etc. It is for this very reason that one ODI and T20 teams are struggling, for promoting players who are too soft. Let Pujara play test cricket as and when he gets the opportunity for now, leave the T20 and ODIs to the rest.

It's good to see some players like Pujara promises to be are still being produced, at least in some countries.

I think Pujara had proved his credentials awhile back aakash. I could see the joy you exuded when talking about his innings on cricket central. He surely has to be the first choice replacement for the middle order. But i can't help but feel bad for Badrinath who is coming up to 30. He is a supremely talented player and i feel that he should be the bridge in the Indian side when the current middle order legends retire.

CP is my biggest Indian hope for a long long time. I have followed his over the past 2-3 years and its for all to see the guy has spunk. I am slightly wary that if he changes his game to match the "flashing & misfiring guns of India" like Rohit, Kohli etc, he will loose out on becoming what he probably is destined to become.

However, even on his current game, he deserves a place in the ODI team ahead of the Rohits & Kohlis. And for God sake, please give him games against NZ by resting either Rahul or VVS alternatively. We cant afford to have 3 greats going out at once. We need stability in our Test team and CP is the one, who I hope will live upto it.

More the merrier will be the case here. The more the eposure and opportunities the better he becomes. Dravid and Sachin would do service to Indian cricket if they desisit playing the Kiwis and come back for SA series.

If Pujara and Vijay play the full series in the first XI it would do world of good to their confidence and overall morale of the team.

We would be well served if we unearth some decent bowling options and groom them like this

Well said Akash. I strongly believe that Pujara should be groomed for India's opening or 1st down slot on a long-term basis.

Aakash, I'm not too concerned with the ODIs, but if the selectors overlook Pujara for the TEST series with NZ it would be a gross injustice! And I mean in the playing 11, not to warm the bench or carry drinks. We have a perfect almost golden opportunity to blood some new talent and Pujara should TOP that list. SELECTORS ARE YOU LISTENING???? And if Pujara does well, as I'm sure he will, then SA is the next step. The rebuilding should start now, and by all appearances Pujara is clearly the keystone in that effort.

I agree with all the views you have expressed. Even if Pujara didn't get a game against the Aussies, he should have been included in the squad for the ODIs. His very presence there would have been enough to get all the other youngsters in the team to perform. Well this is what I would expect them to try and do. The Captain and team management should just lay down the law for all the blokes in the team that have been given many opportunities but still don't get the big scores. Virat Kohli has started off nicely but needs to keep notching up the hundreds. Suresh Raina is in the best form of his career, he has been around for a while so this is long overdue and he has to sustain the current momentum. Yuvraj Singh is struggling and has to find his bearings, all the six hitting form seems to have abandoned him. As for Rohit Sharma you never know which Rohit Sharma will turn up at the creese. Pressure created by chance of being replaced by Pujara could be enough incentive to perform.

Really eager to see how Shikar Dhawan performs. Hope he does well. If he does notch up big scores that would be incentive for Gambhir to perform. If A. Rahane keeps playing the way he is now it won't be long before he too dons the blue. India needs to test the bench before the 2010 CWC.

hi aakash

love the article, well done to you and more to Pujara !

rgds
gaurav

I personally feel that he could be a good fit at number three in the odi's as till now no one has significantly performed at that spot,and besides that the indian batting line up mainly being crowded with hitters and sloggers,pujara can mould and grind the runs while the other will play alongside him or otherwise we need dravid if india wants to win the world cup

I personally feel that he could be a good fit at number three in the odi's as till now no one has significantly performed at that spot,and besides that the indian batting line up mainly being crowded with hitters and sloggers,pujara can mould and grind the runs while the other will play alongside him or otherwise we need dravid if india wants to seriously win the world cup.

Agree totally...

Very true.....
I feel he's much better than the likes of rohit sharma or virat kohli (though the latter has also shown a lot of promise).....with the big guns of indian cricket on the verge of bidding adieu , he seems to belong to that elite class (though its too early to say anything). India needs more of such kind to avoid the phase that aussies are going through.

In principle, I agree with Akash. The first of look of Pujara in a very tensed situation was very good. Considering the ability to be a very good fielder also, his inclusion in the one day side will be an added advantage to our team.

Yes ur right .

Couldnt agree more.. Pujara is the one to be in middle not the one to warm the bench.. he certainly has done enough to warrant a place in Ind's current ODI team against Aus and perhaps should be given chances against Black caps.

as the writer said, only way to find how Good is Pujara is only by giving him the chance and you never know he might be one of the best thing Future of Indian cricket needs? who knows?

As they say , u dnt try u never find out?

thanx Akash, your views are as always illuminating. But Indian selectors often overlook that gret asset called mental toughnes in players.
I am sure in days to come Raina is the one who is going to answer difficult questions in terms of ability to handle short balls,swinnging deliveries, temperament and being clever one he must prepare for them from now onwards. pujara wil have a slot ready.
Also Uthappa gets overlooked again, why? A player of his calibre should at least figure in worldcup plans, if we have one!

the display pujara put over against Australia makes him sit on a much higher position and more deserving seat compared to rohit sharma or others of his likes.
if Rohit can make the playing eleven then there should not ever be placed a question on the selection of Pujara in the playing XI.
Its a pitty that we loose so many talented individuals in the sub-continent just because they dont have a strong support from the board officials.
Remember Asim Kamal from Pakistan? or even Misbah ul Haq who at his prime was never allowed in. I would love to see this guy batting sooner than later.

Pujara showed promise. Lets hope he doesnt go Rohit sharma's way.

Very nice artical. Very lovly. Yes Pujara must play in the shorter formates. He is a good cricketer. We should not wast him. He looks live my Malwenna. I love cricket.

yes it is very good idea and suggestions to try pujara in shorter version of the game also. he is such a player who can play both type of games, shorter and longer. good luck to pujara.
shirish buch , rajkot

Absolutely, I totally agree, As such we do not have separate set of batsmen for test and one day (exceptions due to age factors and the one day performances like Dravids, Laxmans )

Pujara is too good to be left out ,whatsoever may be the reason, let the diamond sparkle with some good match practise and NOT in the nets or back to domestic where he has already proved a point.

Very well written. The pecking order seems to have changed and seems be as follows for players who dont walk into the team.

Walk into team=(Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir, Dhoni, for ODI's and same + Dravid and Laxman for tests)

ODI's
1 Raina
2 Yuvraj Singh
3 Virat Kohli
4 M. Vijay
5 Yusuf Pathan
6 Rohit Sharma
7 Pujara
8 Dinesh Karthik
9 Badrinath

Tests
1) Raina
2) Vijay
3) Pujara
4) Yuvraj
5) Rohit Sharma
6) Virat Kohli
7) Badrinath
8) Dinesh Karthik

Your views?

What good will it do for him to be in the one day team and continue to warm the benches? I think what is happening out here is that the list A matches are actually nursing the right talent and more importantly teaching the young ones the art of adptability. We should plan the India A matches even more meticulously. I am sure Pujara and Virat will agree.For the time being at least...

We got 5 good batsmen so we have to get a good allrounder, So go for it we have less probability of position #7 and #6 go for it he has lots of time in future. Please go for the world cup probables dont go for the batsmen we have less number of asllrounders like

Irfan Phatan
Ravinder Jadeja
Yousaf Phatan

So go for these allrounders please dont make another mistake like last world cup

To me pujara looked a technically correct batsman and i think when india travel to RSA they should play pujara at no.6 instead of raina,who is not an ideal batsman against swing and bounce and dale steyn is much more effective against left handers

I agree completely Aakash; I mean if you can play Test cricket, then nothing should stop you from playing one day cricket. Pujara displayed that he was a fantastic stroke player and batted aggressively in the Bangalore test - there is no reason why he shouldn't be playing the current ODI series. Could you write a blog entry about why Ravindra Jadeja is being retained in the fold. Thank you and keep up the great work!

I think pujara should replace raina for test series against RSA

You are right! Hope selectors do not brand him as a Test cricket. It is one of those odd situation, where a person is unwittingly penalized for his abundant talent.

I disagree. There are very few class test batsmen in the horizon. He should be saved. Not the fairest solution. But we don't want another Yuvraj Singh.

Maybe the answer is to rotate the seniors - insted of waiting for injury. This way the WI and Aus problems will not reoccur.

I certainly agree with you there Aakash. Pujara has shown what a class batsmen he is with his solid technique.I even think he is the next Dravid with a smack of flamboyance! Even though he might not get a chance in Test XI for quite some time, at least I hope he gets picked up for NZ series and South Africa Series. And ODI's? WHY NOT? He has amassed plenty of runs in domestic cricket, if not him then whom? (R Jadeja?!! Its high time they drop him). He looks like a very reliable and composed batsmen when compared to likes of Rohit Sharmas, R Jadejas ,Robin Uthhapas. He deserves every bit of it.

I agree with you. I think Pujara could have been accomodated as no. 3 in the team in the absence of Gambhir. Also, Kohli or Rohit Sharma should grab the opening slot in the current team because for the WC India has already shortlisted four openers (Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir and Vijay). There is no point looking as far as Dhawan now as even in Test matches India has 3 openers. We need to have a back up for no.4 slot of Yuvraj and we must try Rohit, Virat and Pujara to assess them. Also we need someone for no. 7, the contenders are Jadeja Ashwin and Tiwary at the moment but Irfan, Yusuf and Utthappa must get a chance. Even Abhishek Nayar can be tried.

Well said. Pujara should be tried and tested in the shorter format of the game. Ignoring a talent of such quality won't help Indian cricket but for the kind of cricketer he is it is just a matter of time before he presents a strong case for selection.

Your argument is sound, but I think there is a bigger picture involved here. The team is trying to find the right balance for the world cup - and Pujara is well behind the likes of Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay on the list of extra batsmen for that tournament.

Perhaps after March he should get a look in - which I do believe he will.

Nice to see these sort of articles backing Pujara.

We should wait and see if Puajara walks-in to playing XI in next test. Because he is much better option than Raina, Yuvi and Dravid (considering current form) at home conditions.

Whether the management and captain are forthright to call spade a spade is something remains to be seen? Or maybe they know/see certain aspects we don't see.

Let's hope the management and think-tank keep a long-term vision in grooming youngsters (not waste talents) and at the same time focus on task-at-hand.

Picking Pujara in Shorter Formats is an EXCELLENT suggestion.

BUT, the issue of Pujara (the core issue - Pujara is one instance) should be looked at and handled at a high level in a broader perspective.

We have come a LONG LONG way - from regional bias to all sort of issues in Indian settings.
Every effort should be made to keep it up and MAKE IMPROVEMENTS that will stand the test of time - TIME TO BE CREATIVE.

Everyone agrees that Pujara won't be able to break into the famed Indian middle order till one of the big three retires (Raina has the advantage of being the only south paw which gives him an edge). I guess the time has come for the likes of Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj to really pull up their performances seeing the tough competition biting at them...

I would much rather keep him away from T20 bashes. It would be better to let him mature as a test player. Pujara seems to have sterner sinews in him. Let us not do a Rohit Sharma on him.

Agreed.

I was before totally against Pujara playing in the shorter formats, but I agree with you Akash.

Giving Pujara a run with the ODI squad will get him experience with the team. People worried about him losing technique should not fret as batting in a ODI is not all bang bang. It requires patience and orthodox batsmen can do very well in the ODI format.

Lets be realistic, Dravid and Laxman will not give up their spots willingly and only a severe dip in form will force the selectors to drop them. As long as India keep winning, and Dravid and Laxman keep scoring, only the number 6 batting spot is up for grabs. Pujara will have to battle Raina and Yuvraj for that spot, OR wait for Dravid or Laxman to retire.

As much as I want Pujara to cement a place and begin his growth as the future of an aging Indian middle order, I dont see him cracking the middle order until one of the big three gracefully bow out.

I completely agree with this and what a well written piece Akash. Kudos for bringing out the emotions of a player who gets one and half chance to prove for world of talent and toil of a whole life. What a test of character for a young player and he surely deserve a chance to play in ODIs as a sheet anchor while being groomed for the tests.

I was tempted to say no - do not ruin his technique.

But surely, he is ahead of Rohit Sharma ? Why can't he walk into an ODI team ?

Couldnt agree more with you Akash. He is a special player, and needs to be given opportunities across.. I guess its just a matter of time, since we might not want to experiment too much till the World Cup.

Pujara is a composure of good technique and nice striker and scores
runs quickly. why he was not considered for one day team against
Aussies. Let the selectors give him good opportunity, so that
he can mould himself to be a good batsman and can deliver goods
during the world cup.

Pujara should be a permanent feature in Indian test team. Has abundance of talent.

hi everybody, i don't agree with akash chopra who commented on success of pujara... mr. leave him alone pujara to be perfect test batsman and spoil his carrier in shorter format of the game. 1st see ur own then comment on other.....

Where is Robin Uthappa? I am very much surprised to see such a daring explossive batsmen is beeing neglected in evry selection meeting.. it is being proved that he is very much better than Kohli or rohit and rest of the indian youngsters.. Srikanth please bring him back for Ondays and T20s and add a feather to your Crown... I am very much sure that he can help india to be WC Camions...

Where is Robin Uthappa? I am very much surprised to see such a daring explossive batsmen is beeing neglected in evry selection meeting.. it is being proved that he is very much better than Kohli or rohit and rest of the indian youngsters.. Srikanth please bring him back for Ondays and T20s and add a feather to your Crown... I am very much sure that he can help india to be WC Camions...

I think Pujara should be added to the ODI team for now and as the ODI career progresses then the T20s. Anyone who plays with the composure he had vs Australia deserves a shot to play ODIs.

i agree dude

This is a well written article by Akash Chopra.He should be tried in ODIs alsoto expose him for different challenges as he seems to be a quick learner and a commendable attitude unlike some who have remained as people with potential and not performance oriented for a long time despite innumerable chances.It is also time to give CP a longer run by resting the wall for the NZ series.

I wonder , people are still talking of Jadeja in worldcup plans. Dont know what dhoni wants to proove by retaining him in the side.

Pujara showed that he has both the right technique and temperament in the 2nd innings when it mattered. That innings will do wonders for his confidence going forward and eliminate any self doubts.

I think it is time Dravid calls time on his Test career. His form is clearly on the decline in the last 2 yrs or so and his returns are not enough to justify his place in the side. Only through his grit and determination (his biggest asset all the while), he is barely holding on to his place. Before there is a chorus for his head, he should retire gracefully and give chance to deserving younger cricketers like Pujara. Ganguly's exit has opened up a slot in middle order and we can see Raina slowly but surely sliding into that role and making his dreams come true.

Yes he did display lots of guts and determination in his only test which augurs well for Indian cricket.In fact I would seriously consider him to replace the over hyped and fit for nothing Rohit Sharma or even the equally useless Ravindu Jadeja.But having said that it depends the kind of opportunities that he gets at the higher levels and how well he can bat in different conditions and countries given the wealthy rich batting order that the Indian team boasts off.

Why? so he can perfect the mow to cow corner? Let the lad be please. Play him in enough Tests to give him confidence and make him feel a part of the scheme. Give him a Central contract. and THEN make him play the mow to midwicket and the dab to Thirdman. till then, leave him alone.

Don't know if others agree, but looking at Pujara play in the 2nd innings at B'glore, he reminded me a lot of PONTING!. I'm wondering if anyone knows or can find out if Pujara's batting style has been influenced by the Punter? As far as I know he's the only Indian who plays the PULL shot, and plays it WELL! Watching him get inside the line and swivel for the pull shot he really looked like the Punter! If you notice the way the Aussies play the pull it's with straight arms, leaning away, where the force is generated by the shoulder and body swiveling on the back foot. Indians tend to play it by bending the elbows because they are not in position early and ends up being uncontrolled. It may work in India but on faster pitches it would be their downfall. After watching the replays numerous times it still amazes me how he gets into position in a FLASH, which means he's LOOKING to play that shot unlike other players. Anyway Aakash, I'd love an article on the pull shot if you can!

It is a myth that a batsman with solid technique cannot play ODIs. Rahul Dravid was a tremendous ODI player. After the initial part of his career, Dravid scored at a good rate and single handedly saved India in many a ODI. This is actually a good test to tell the difference between a casual fan and a knowledgeable fan: the casual fan will say that "Dravid plays too slow."

The same way, Pujara can be highly successful in ODIs. He will likely perform better than Rohit Sharma and probably even Kohli, given a few chances. To brand him as a "traditional batsman" not suitable for ODIs is pathetic. He is 23. He will be warming the bench till he is 26 when Dravid and Laxman retire. Even then India will play only 5-6 tests in a year. And if he has one off year in Ranji, he will suddenly be out of favor against some 20-year old. It could very well be a waste of a high-class batsman.

I am flummoxed with the current selection. What has Rohit Sharma done to deserve his place? And RAvindra Jadeja is still here? Has Irfan Pathan faded into oblivion faster than he arrived? Pujara should have been tried in the one dayers even when India toured Zimbabwe under Raina. And we do NOT have a back up keeper in the current series. I believe the 15 man WC squad will be like
01. Sachin Tendulkar
02. Virender Sehwag
03. Yuvraj Singh
04. Mahendra Dhoni
05. Suresh Raina
06. Gautam Gambhir
07. Zaheer Khan
08. Harbhajan Singh
09. Aashish Nehra
10. Murali Vijay
11. Virat Kohli
12. Ishant Sharma
13. Munaf Patel
14. Ravichandran Ashwin (back up for Bhajji)
15. Dinesh Karthik

Maybe Irfan Pathan has an outside chance. Wish Gary Kirsten works with him and sorts out his mental issues with speed.

As someone like Rahul Dravid has shown time and again, pure technique plus an ability to switch gears is enough to be successful in the limited overs format. Pujara seems to have honed both to a very high degree and would be a perfect foil for the ridiculous-looking, awkward-feeling short-ball playing technique that the Rainas et al. demonstrate. Blood Pujara now - he could very well become the perfect backbone of the team at 1-drop or 2-drop, like his idol, the Wall.

Pujara is good tech batsman he can serve indian team long term forone day, test matchs.

if player like rohit sharma getting chances in each series...why not pujara...rohit always gets selected coz of zonal selection I guess...they didnt try uthappa for last 2 yr...though uthappa failed in champions league...he performed in IPL....champions league and IPL-2 was in south africa thats why he failed...why cant selector think like that...selectors dont know how to handle consistent and inconsistent players...uthappa is best bet at no 7...kohli,sharma,tiwari all failed in challenger trophy still they r in team why not uthappa ..pujara is any day better than hyped rohit sharma.....even RP singh did well challenger trophy ..from where munaf come without playing match...kohli and rohit sharma used to open in sachin's absence when uthappa was peforming in domestics in 2008-09 ...they didnt give him chance that time...suddenly vijay performed in domestics and they needed specialist opener...@cricinfo publish these comments plz.

To me..Pujara is the next big batting hope for India in all formats...
Also, I think it is important to pick VVS for the world cup as 50 over games require good anchors to build an innings...he should come in at #3...he may just turn out to be the xfactor for the ODI team.. slam bam does not happen in every game...20/3 is when you need VVS to playout the 50 overs..

Unlike how many of you feel, I think a player with fundamentally solid technique can adapt to other formats relatively well. Look at how M. Vijay and Raina are shaping up. Both are more the product of limited overs cricket having to make the adjustments for Test cricket, but their game is basically solid. Pujara is a gem, but we don't have to protect it too much. He is in the field with a lot of other youngsters too, who are all good at rising to the challenges, and even raising the bar for other teams to catch. Exciting times for India and for world cricket when someone so technically brilliant shows up.

i am sure pujara can be included in the ODI team as well... but i would suggest him to play some county cricket in england or south africa and get more exposure to foriegn conditions before joining the indian team.... i can ask for players such as kohli to be removed from the ODI team... he has an ODI everage of over 43 per innings he should carry on.... and there is no need to rest dravid or sachin or laxman for NZ series... let them play since dravid and laxman are not part of ODI.... sachin is too good a player to sit out for any test match.... i would have yuvi back in test squad and have vijay as back up for NZ series... send pujara.. rohit sharma... kohli... ambathi rayudu... to play county cricket in foriegn conditions at least for a year... they would come back as much better players who will able to fit into the test team once lax and dravid calls it a day...

Just for those who don't know when Pujara entered the limelight it was the 2006 U-19's world cup where he was the highest run getter and player of the tourney. Cameroon White Graeme Smith Tatende Taibu and Brian Lara are all examples of individuals who have received this acclaim. Since then he has scored many times on A tours in the 50 over version. So yes he is hope for the limited version too.

Guys please be realistic and stop asking for Uthappa ... Its surely impossible ... He is not at all a consistent player .. He performed only a few matches in IPL3 ... He failed miserably in CLT20 Challenger series and in thedomestic season ... Forget about big scores,he didnt even make a decent score ... How can he be selected and ahead of whom ?? And about Pujara .... He is definitely 100% better than Rohit Sharma and deserves to be in ODIs

Posted by:V.Sethuraman at October 21,2010 13.25hrs.
Pujara must be given a chance in ODI also.He deserves to be included in ODI team which will play against Newzealand.This experiment will enable the selection committee in choosing the best team to play in the forthcoming World Cup.

Let him play in d test matches 4 now. he s solid wid his technic. this s not d rite tym to try him. robbie utthappa is a better choice 4 onedayes n t20s.

ya i totaly agree with aakash pojara will became good for the future

Like Dravid,Pujara will need to grow into the ODI side.It would be senseless to rush him,Don;t forget,he is being groomed to step into the shoes of the fab 3 Tendulkar,Dravid and Lakshman.A hurried stint in the ODI team,on the bouncy SA tracks could dent his confidence.Surely India's reserve strength is large enough to nurture a talent like Pujara.Have we forgotten the likes of Badrinath,Mohammed Kaif,etc.and more recently Manoj Tewari? or for that matter the talented Rayadu who has become a "slap dash,blink and you miss him" cricketer?There can only be a one of his kind Sehwag,or Tendulkar,who have bridged the gap between Test cricket and the shorter forms.Don't ruin a career that may make fresh history for Indian cricket.

I think Pujara should be upgarded to teh one day team.I dont understand why is India looking for a big hitter at 7.We have 3 big hitters with teh name Yuvraj,Raina and Dhoni who can spoli any oones party ay any required day.And yuvi,raina can turn there arms around easily giving 4-5 overs each every game.So why not look for a more steady batsman like pujara who can always play teh role of what tendulkar is doing now a days i.e guarding the team till end with maintaining the strike rate, prefect defence and scoring with ease.Pujara has every thing in it.I think what ever people say whoever had been responsible for India's win in teh banglore test but teh turning point was pujara's innings.No one thought india could chase 207 which is equivalent to a score of 400+ in a day5 pitch..the array of shorts Pujara posseses and the ease with which he plays the spinner was the show to watch....Please put this on our selectors head and stop wasting energy on hard hitters to replace some big shoes.