Pujara has been exceptional at number 3: Rahul Dravid

The news cannot get any better for the Saurashtra batsman Cheteshwar Pujara. He has managed to draw praise from Rahul Dravid recently. Pujara has been in a terrific form in the recent times. No wonder why he has become the batting mainstay of the Indian middle-order. Pujara bats at number three position in the Indian batting line-up.

It is the position that former Indian batsman Rahul Dravid had made his own. Dravid shouldered the middle-order responsibility for nearly a decade and a half. Now, he believes that the number 3 position is in safe hands. Rahul Dravid was all praise for the current lot of Indian cricketers. At a recent interaction in Mumbai, he called the team as a good talent.

“The (current) guys (players), the way they are performing, I think it’s a very good talent. It’s nice thing that they have a lot of these home Test matches over the next few months,” quoted Dravid.

He specifically looked pleased with the middle order. He complimented Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane for doing a great job for the country. “Pujara has been exceptional at No. 3 after I have left. He has batted beautifully, he has played well in this series (against England). He is a terrific Test player. I hope we are going to see his best years ahead. Ajinkya Rahane has been exceptional as well. Virat is absolutely sensational,” mentioned the former Indian skipper.

“I am very impressed with the batting talent we have and they are growing, developing as a team, they still are figuring their way out. I hope by the time India tours abroad, we will have a settled batting line up, a sort of confident and successful middle order in place,” he added further as he heaped praise on the middle-order and the batting unit.

Rahul Dravid did not shy away from citing that there have been a generation full of match winners in the past for India. He quoted the example of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. He quoted, “It was great in my generation, the sort of five players who were settled and established. There was Virender Sehwag, myself, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav (Ganguly) and Laxman. We were a settled line up, (Gautam) Gambhir for a period of time as well.”

He also left his remarks and comments on the ongoing tiff between the BCCI and the Lodha Committee. He said it is up to the board to deal with the issue. Whatever they end up doing must be in the benefit of the game.

“It’s a matter that’s pending in the Supreme Court, it’s up to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to figure out how it works. At the end of the day, respect whatever the Supreme Court decides. I guess the Board will have to work and see, how and what of it can be implemented and how quickly it can be implemented and what can be done. Again it’s something best left to the Board and people who are in administration to figure out a way,” Dravid conceded.