Let's say Pujara has had enough and retires after this test.

[express bowling]

Gill and Rohit are giving us good opening partnerships, irrespective of what they are scoring individually.

 

So, I will not tinker with the opening combo.

 

I will bring in Vihari at 3 ... same mould as Pujara but better at rotating strike and scoring a few runs.

[Vilander]

10 minutes ago, Lord said:

 

Prithvi shaw

Yeah Shaw I agree too much space between bat and pad and horizontal cut shots plenty. Washington seems tight

[GeeGaw]

What is this board's fascination with Vihari?  He was dogshit awful in AUS tour.

[Lord]

35 minutes ago, GeeGaw said:

What is this board's fascination with Vihari?  He was dogshit awful in AUS tour.

 

redeemed himself in SCG

[putrevus]

4 hours ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

Cheteshwar Pujara has played a major role in India's success in test cricket over the past decade.  There is no denying that fact.  But it is also becoming apparent that he is on the wrong side of his peak.  Let's just say he wakes up on Wednesday and goes "to heck with this struggle.  I've done it for a long time and it's time for something else." 

 

Who are the contenders for the #3 slot?

(1) Gill, with Shaw opening.

(2) Shaw, with current opening combo

(3) Agarwal, with current opening combo

(4) Rahul, with current opening combo

 

(5) Sundar, with Gill/Sharma/Shaw/Rahul/Agarwal competing for the 2 opening slots:  This is a really intriguing option for me.  Maybe because I am biased from watching Sundar's clutch knocks whenever he got a chance and the ease with which he handled some excellent bowling, along with his ability to shut it down or crank it up based on situation.  Plus, in my decades of watching cricket, I don't remember India having a LHB at #3 for any extended time.  Would be a nice change.  

 

 

He plays one format and he is last guy who will walk out on his team just like that without giving an indication ala Dhoni. This is guy who turned for his Ranji trophy team just after landing from tough Australian team. He is not that old to be replaced or thinking of retirement.

 

The players you have mentioned, What have they done to replace Pujara?Pujara was instrumental in India winning back to back series in Australia.He is just fine for another 3-4 years. 

Edited June 21, 2021 by putrevus

[Prabhdeep Singh]

If both Pujara and Rahane are retired hypothetically:

 

Shaw

Sharma

Gill

Kohli

KL 

Pant

2 Spinners

3 Seamers

[Texan]

I would think that Gill appears to be the best option among the ones we have with Shaw as opener. 

 

P.S. even if Pujara wakes up and doesn't have those throughts (which I am 99.999999999% sure would be the case), he should be told by the TM that the way he is batting and his form are a big concern and that he needs to go back to the drawing board (read as domestic cricket) to figure out how he will overcome the glut and he wouldn't be playing Tests until then. 

[TheWall]

Pujara is getting out trying to play his natural game.

[Jay]

9 hours ago, Prabhdeep Singh said:

If both Pujara and Rahane are retired hypothetically:

 

Shaw

Sharma

Gill

Kohli

KL 

Pant

2 Spinners

3 Seamers

That's so much better but not confident with Shaw. Maybe panchal or someone else? 

[rtmohanlal]

let us say India has had enough of this guy. Needs to be kicked out ASAP .  Such a pathetic record in SENA + WI  even after playing 67 inns.  Guaranteed to kills the entire momentum of the inns  once he comes to the crease... Baring that  1 marquee series in AUS in 2019 ,  he has done nothing of note in SENA + WI. 

[Serpico]

1 hour ago, rtmohanlal said:

let us say India has had enough of this guy. Needs to be kicked out ASAP .  Such a pathetic record in SENA + WI  even after playing 67 inns.  Guaranteed to kills the entire momentum of the inns  once he comes to the crease... Baring that  1 marquee series in AUS in 2019 ,  he has done nothing of note in SENA + WI. 

he was good in recent aus series too

[rtmohanlal]

5 hours ago, Serpico said:

he was good in recent aus series too

just played his part.... that's all ....quite  a  few  others  were better than him in that series... 

[putrevus]

1 hour ago, rtmohanlal said:

just played his part.... that's all ....quite  a  few  others  were better than him in that series... 

What else do you want him to do, become Bradman. Who is there to replace him.

Edited June 22, 2021 by putrevus

[Gollum]

Better than 1st innings. Hope he scores 50+ and bats till tea. 

[Sgattick10]

After him I'd like to see Sundar @ 3

[putrevus]

34 minutes ago, Sgattick10 said:

After him I'd like to see Sundar @ 3

On what basis exactly is Sundar qualified to play at number3.

Edited June 22, 2021 by putrevus

[rtmohanlal]

9 hours ago, putrevus said:

What else do you want him to do, become Bradman. Who is there to replace him.

 

Pujara comes from  the same system that has  produced  SRT,Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman ,Sehwag & Gambhir & Dhoni   who were the corner stones of the  immediately preceeding decades.  All of them  were highly successful  2 format  players baring Laxman who himself was the  utmost crisis batsman as it can ever be.This  core group won series  with the support of a not so strong bowling line ups in general .  Such was the might of this batting group. It is there that  this one format  Pujara can't do justice  even to the lone format  he is playing in . How ever strongly people like you keeps on supporting him  , his pathetic record in SENA + WI till date  is far from adequate that is  required for a complete  team.  To replace him , effective  selection  policy needs to be performed which as of now is not at all the case. That's why Mayank who was superb  in his first series in AUS  ,. Karun Nair who scored a tripple   in his first series, Hardik whose record is quite good  till date are not in team where as this inadequacy Pujara is still playing. Another case is  Rahul who rightly has been neglected after getting his adeqate share of chances   Such blind double standard policies ... 

[ShoonyaSifar]

1 hour ago, rtmohanlal said:

 

Pujara comes from  the same system that has  produced  SRT,Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman ,Sehwag & Gambhir & Dhoni   who were the corner stones of the  immediately preceeding decades.  All of them  were highly successful  2 format  players baring Laxman who himself was the  utmost crisis batsman as it can ever be.This  core group won series  with the support of a not so strong bowling line ups in general .  Such was the might of this batting group. It is there that  this one format  Pujara can't do justice  even to the lone format  he is playing in . How ever strongly people like you keeps on supporting him  , his pathetic record in SENA + WI till date  is far from adequate that is  required for a complete  team.  To replace him , effective  selection  policy needs to be performed which as of now is not at all the case. That's why Mayank who was superb  in his first series in AUS  ,. Karun Nair who scored a tripple   in his first series, Hardik whose record is quite good  till date are not in team where as this inadequacy Pujara is still playing. Another case is  Rahul who rightly has been neglected after getting his adeqate share of chances   Such blind double standard policies ... 

The guy was averaging 49-50 just 18 months back and has won us two of our biggest test series wins . You are making it sound as if he is someone who averages 35-37. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by ShoonyaSifar

[Adamant]

The lack of talented test players in India is a serious concern, only Shubman Gill (maybe Shaw too) looks like a good future prospect but apart from him we have nothing. 

Also Vihari shouldn't replace Pujara, both are strokeless wonders. We need someone else at 3.

[Straight Drive]

Very disappointing performance of 23 runs across 2 innings in the test which mattered. Being a one format player, he should have made most of the only test final he has played in his career. Had a chance to play clutch knock but got out after scoring very few runs.