Two months ago, Team India suffered another heartbreaking defeat in the final of the World Test Championship, and the dreams of many cricket fans who thought the drought of an ICC trophy would end were shattered. The squad made several notable changes to their squad for the upcoming World Test Championship cycle. Team India has always reached the final since the inception of this prestigious tournament but failed to win it both times. The two-time runners-up are now eager to end the long wait for an ICC title.
The first test starts tomorrow
India will begin their campaign for the WTC title starting tomorrow in the test series against the West Indies. After the loss to Australia in the previous WTC final, India gave debuts to three youngsters for this two-match test series against the Windies. Young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mukesh Kumar have made it to the India squad after giving some consistent performances in domestic cricket and for India A as well.
To prepare the young cricketers, the team has rested senior pacer Mohammad Shami for this series, while veteran batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the squad. The 35-year-old has been India’s No. 3 batsman for many years. He is well known for his ultra-defensive approach, but in the WTC final, he was not able to play important knocks for India. Following Pujara’s non-selection for the Caribbean series, India will unveil a new No. 3 batsman.
Harbhajan names Pujara the unsung hero
Ahead of the first test match of the series between India and the West Indies, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, in his outspoken style, described Pujara as one of the pillars of strength of Team India. He also claimed Pujara to have been an unsung hero of the team for many years. During the talk with the news agency PTI, Harbhajan said, “I have immense respect for Cheteshwar Pujara for what he has achieved. He has been doing the tough work of hanging there and making sure that other batsmen get comfort.
Demanding respect for the senior batsman, Harbhajan also pointed out that Pujara was not the only one who fell short of expectations in the WTC final. Apart from Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur, none of the Indian batters crossed the 50-run mark in the WTC final. In a veil dig at Virat Kohli, who has been in abysmal form in the format, Harbhajan drew parallels between his and Pujara’s averages in the last WTC cycle.
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