5 Reasons why Cheteshwar Pujara should be picked for the 2nd Test

5 Reasons why Cheteshwar Pujara should be picked for the 2nd Test: After the demoralizing performance by the the Indian middle order in the 1st Test against Sri Lanka, a number of things need to be switched ahead of the 2nd Test. As a matter of fact, a majority of cricket fans and critics have been badly surprised when Cheteshwar Pujara was not a part of the XI for the first game. A number of questions that came up are as, does Rohit Sharama deserve a chance at number 3 ahead of Pujara? Is Pujara worth warming the bench? Despite being a relatively experienced batsman, why was he left out?

To affirm our views on the selection of Cheteshwar Pujara, here we enlist the 5 Reasons why Cheteshwar Pujara should be picked for the 2nd Test:

1. Reliable no. 3 batsman:

Averaging at 47.11 in Test Cricket with a total of 6 Test centuries and 6 half centuries, Cheteshwar Pujara is pretty much reliable for the no. 3 spot of the Indian line up. Not only that, he has coped up well in that position in the recent past. With 2073 Test runs which involved a double century, Cheteshwar Pujara can be the much needed catalyst for the batting order at the moment.

2. Rohit Sharma’s poor form:

Rohit Sharma scored a total of 13 runs in the first Test at Galle. Also, he has not managed to cope up well with the challenges of the longest format. He averages just over 35 in his career of 12 Tests so far. In addition to that, he has flopped considerably in the recent past as a Test batsman. He was chosen ahead of Pujara for the no. 3 spot in the game against Bangladesh and the first Test of this series. But after his failure, Pujara seems to be an inevitable option to give the batting order some stability now on.

3. Experienced contender:

After former Captain MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test Cricket, the Indian Test side looks rather inexperienced. In fact, none except Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay have significant amount of experience at the Test level. Pujara has played a total of 27 Test matches so far and he has been exposed to a number of pressurizing situations in the recent past. So, judging by the token of experience, Pujara is a must for the second Test.

4. Decent domestic form of late:

Pujara has performed rather well in the county cricket for Yorkshire. Also, he struck a century there and played a number of vital knocks. Playing for India A against Australia A, Pujara did manage to strike a half century. He looked firm at the crease and he can well handle the tremors of the Sri Lankan bowling as he has been exposed to decent amount of Cricket in the recent past.

5. Good player of spin:

When Pujara was introduced to international Cricket, a lot pictured him as the replacement of Rahul Dravid. This was due to the fact of his accuracy in feet movement coupled with his grammatically correct stroke play. As a matter of fact, we have witnessed that Pujara handles spinners reasonably well. It was Rangana Herath who shook up the Indian line up in the second innings of the 1st Test and with the level of talent he has, Pujara can certainly handle him well. This further is an edge for his selection.