Only aggressive cricket can take Test matches forward isn’t entirely true: Cheteshwar Pujara

One of India's veteran Test cricketers, Cheteshwar Pujara, opined about the evolution of red-ball cricket in recent years. For example, England have adopted the 'Bazball' style of cricket which basically means that they focus more on the strike rates while batting. 

Meanwhile, Pujara mentioned that the batters should be more careful about the pitch and the overall conditions of the ground, rather than just looking to strike the ball. Test cricket is the longest format of the game and 'patience' is extremely important to stick around and play well. 

Pujara, who was an asset to the Indian team when he was in the side, has scored runs in the Indian sub-continent as well as in the SENA countries. He says, playing against pace abroad, especially with the new ball becomes quite tough and the batters have to understand the conditions around to sustain. 

"Saying that only aggressive cricket can take Test matches forward isn’t entirely true. The real key to success in Tests is playing according to the situation. That doesn’t always mean slowing down—sometimes, you should be scoring at 80 or even 100 strike rate, especially on a flat wicket but when conditions are tough and the bowlers are on top, you’ve got to respect that," said Pujara during an interview with Vimal Kumar.

"It’s about absorbing pressure when needed and cashing in when the moment’s right. That’s especially important in places like SENA countries, where the new ball can be a real handful. Reading the game is everything," added Pujara. 

Also Read: India’s Test squad for England tour 2025 announced: Full team, captain, new players & omissions

Shubman Gill is very calm and very composed: Pujara

On May 24, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's squad for the upcoming Test series in England. They unveiled Shubman Gill as the new captain of the Test side, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy. The selectors have also added Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur into the mix, giving them an opportunity to guide the youngsters in the team with their experience. 

"He is mature enough to understand what’s required of him both as a batter and a leader. He’s someone who’s very calm and very composed. I’ve seen him the way he has been leading his team (Gujarat Titans) in the IPL, so he knows what he’s doing,” Pujara said to Sony Sports Network.

India's squad for England tour

Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.