Former cricketer and renowned commentator Sunil Gavaskar has expressed anger and disappointment at the BCCI’s selection panel for dropping Cheteshwar Pujara from the Indian squad for the upcoming West Indies tour.
The selectors raised eyebrows for retaining other out-of-form batters in the team.
Pujara, a veteran batter, has been a consistent performer for the Indian team over the years, especially in Test cricket. However, his recent form, particularly in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Oval, was underwhelming. With only 41 runs to his name in the summit clash, Pujara failed to make a significant impact.
While Pujara’s performance in the WTC final left much to be desired, Gavaskar believes that Pujara should not be solely blamed for the team’s failure.
According to Gavaskar, Pujara became the scapegoat for the poor performance of other batters.
“Why has he been dropped? Why has he been made the scapegoat for our batting failures. He has been a loyal servant of Indian cricket. A loyal and quiet servant. A loyal and quiet achiever,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying to Sports Today.
The former Indian captain has demanded an explanation from the selectors regarding their decision to drop Pujara from the squad, especially when other players who also underperformed were retained.
“But because he does not have millions of followers on platforms who will make a noise in case he gets dropped, you drop him. That is something beyond understanding.
“What is the criteria of dropping him and keeping the others who failed? I do not know because nowadays, there is no media interaction with the selection committee chairman,” added Gavaskar.
“He has been playing country cricket. So, he has played a lot of red-call cricket and he knows what it is about.
“Today, people can play till they are 39-40 years old and as long as you are producing runs, I do not think age should be a factor. Apart from (Ajinkya) Rahane, the batting completely failed. Why Pujara has been made the fall guy is something the selectors will have to explain,” he added further.
The BCCI’s selection panel took a bold step by including uncapped players Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the team. This move surprised both fans and experts alike, as these youngsters have not yet proven themselves at the international level. The selectors seem to be banking on their potential and talent for the upcoming series.
The Indian cricket team will embark on their first match of the WTC 2025 cycle in the Caribbean Islands, with the tour scheduled to commence on July 12.
