The art of batting in Test cricket demands sturdy character and some special skillset, especially from the top-order players. Mainly, the one-down batter who bats at number three position is considered the spine of the batting order.
Some of the legends who excelled in this slot are Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Vivian Richards, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara. Among modern-day cricket, players like Kane Williamson and Cheteshwar Pujara have impressed one and all with their superior skill.
Speaking about Pujara, the veteran Indian batter recently accomplished the special feat of playing 100 Tests for India and featured in an elite club. Pujara has been India’s No.3 batter in Test cricket for several years, but he is 35 years old and doesn’t have too much cricket left in him. Moreover, the Rajkot-born is also struggling with form and has seen ups and downs in the recent past. In the ongoing third Test against Australia, Pujara yet again failed to impress as he was dismissed for just 1 during India’s first innings on the opening day.
There is no doubt that India will find it tough to get a replacement for Pujara, and reacting to the same former India opener Wasim Jaffer has picked an ideal successor for Pujara. Ahead of the Indore Test, Jaffer named star batter Shreyas Iyer as an ideal successor of Pujara. Jaffer reckoned that Iyer has the ability to bat well at No.3 and can score freely to put the bowlers on backfoot.
“I think Shreyas Iyer is the best option to succeed Cheteshwar Pujara at No.3. He has batted at No.3 for Mumbai and is an attacking batter. If someone can come in at No.3 and score intently, putting the bowlers on the backfoot will do India a lot of good. Pujara has been brilliant at No.3,” Jaffer said on YouTube.
Pujara, who made his Test debut against Australia in 2010, has accumulated 7053 runs in 101 matches at an average of 43.81 with the help of 19 hundreds and 34 half-centuries.
