Yuvraj selection ahead of Pujara baffling - Whatmore

[Sir john]

Dav Whatmore, the Kolkata Knight Riders coach and the former director of coaching at India's National Cricket Academy, has questioned the selection of Yuvraj Singh in the Test squad against Sri Lanka ahead of batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who had a prolific run during the recently concluded A tour to England. "The team surely has some finest Test match players. But, where is Cheteshwar Pujara? I personally think he is a must in the team, especially considering his form. Yuvraj Singh ahead of Pujara is completely baffling. This is just the right time to bring him in," Whatmore told PTI. Pujara, who represents Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy, was also part of the Kolkata squad in the IPL supervised by Whatmore. He cracked an unbeaten 208 against West Indies A on the tour of England, and scored 332 runs in five limited-overs games as captain, averaging 83. In first-class cricket, Pujara, 22, averages 60.38 and has a triple-century to his name. He has been named Parthiv Patel's deputy for the upcoming Emerging Players' Tournament in Brisbane in August. Yuvraj, however, has virtually cemented his position in the middle order for the first Test that begins on July 18, scoring a fluent century against Sri Lanka's Board President's XI in the tour game. India are without Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth on the Sri Lankan tour - both are injured - and Whatmore expected a difficult time for the visitors in the three-match Test series. "Good players are always missed in the team. The key is how ready the playing XI is. Sri Lanka is a very formidable unit and it would be a tough contest for Dhoni and company." Jaidev Unadkat, a left-arm seamer who Whatmore coached in the last IPL, is part of the Indian outfit in Sri Lanka as a net bowler. Whatmore said he needed more exposure in first-class cricket. "These are early days for him. But there is no doubt that he is a promising talent. Unadkat needs to play and concentrate in first-class matches. He holds a bright future." The first Test will be Muttiah Muralitharan's last, and Whatmore, while acknowledging his absence would affect Sri Lanka, said they have some impressive reserves in the spin department. "Muralitharan is arguably the greatest spin bowler of the modern era. He was one man, who created a fear psychosis. For the first time ever, batsmen started fearing offspin bowling. Teams always had a specific plan against Murali. His retirement will create a huge hole. "But Sri Lanka have the young talent. Suraj Randiv is a great offie and a future star. Ajantha Mendis has also troubled many teams and is definitely in Sri Lanka's scheme of things." India, Whatmore said, are among the front-runners heading into the 2011 World Cup but urged the media to not put pressure on captain MS Dhoni. "Of course India can win the World Cup. But for that to happen, everything should fall in place. But the media have the habit of exaggerating things till it is too close for comfort. No one has the Midas touch. It is just that Dhoni is a wise captain and has a thinking head on his shoulders. "But the media have added unnecessary pressure on him by branding him 'Captain Cool' and what not. After all, he is a human being. Gary [Kirsten] is a good coach and India has relatively performed well under his guidance."

[The Dark Horse]

They are just not ready to drop him. Should have been done long ago. Another one century and he'll play for +10 tests.

[achilles]

I think Pujara could have come in, in place of Raina. Having said that, Raina hasn't got many chances. But he can't handle the short balls, which I believe Pujara can.

[ZodiaC]

Yep. Pujara is a must for tests. I think he's gonna get picked for whichever test series comes after this, after his great form in the A tour.

[thevortex]

In all this hullabaloo we are forgetting Badrinath. He scored a 50 on debut against Steyn and Co. He should be first in line for a Test spot. Must be given a chance to fail. He has earned it. Next in line should be Pujara and then perhaps Raina. For Test match cricket, that is.

[The Dark Horse]

^He failed in his test against SA-not the runs but the manner in which he batted..I too wanted him to be in tests but may be its too late- I dont see that happening.

[ludhianvi]

Kohli would be ahead of Pujara at the moment anyways considering he's already had international exposure and done well. But Kohli is missing out on the India A tours especially the first class matches and he would actually benefit if he was part of these teams. This could hamper Kohli's development as a complete player in the future.

[Sid]

raina,kohli,rohit,pujara so many in the list ,just hope they do not take too long to assert themselves in test cricket once our legends retire

[Desi Cartman]

Batting isnt an issue for India , bowling is .. I would have appreciated his comments on bowlers he thought should be given a chance

[Guest Hiten.]

Batting isnt an issue for India ' date=' bowling is .. I would appreciated his comments on bowlers he thought should be given a chance[/quote'] I'm sure he would've recommended a bowling machine than our bunch we carry in fray :((

[Manny_Pacquiao]

Like him or hate him, yuvraj has earned his place in the test xi with the hundred against board prez XI. if reports are anything to go by, he played the spinners quite well. that said, i think the time to play pujara has come. can't keep a guy out when he is in such great form. realistically speaking, i dont think he will get a fair run in the side until a few of the big four retire or get injured, whichever comes first

[Ranjha]

More than Yuvrajs selection, Whatmores comments are baffling. He should think of his kolkotta knight riders and how not to get the wooden spoon time after time. He should leave the real game for the big boys. Yuvraj definately deserves to play the first test after the ton he scored in the practise when the entire indian team struggled.

[Manny_Pacquiao]

i wouldnt knock whatmore for saying he said. this guy is a top class coach with a fantastic record. so his comments shouldnt be dismissed immediately. its not like ashok malhotra is making these comments. i would imagine he has seen pujara up close a fair bit, having been in charge of the nca and also as coach of gayrukh khan's khatpatiya knight ryders. he knows what pujara is capable of. its all good though, nothing wrong with a bit of competition. we can see it works for yuvraj cos he keeps producing these big innings every so often. i just dont like the way he is seen as a default choice for that number 6 slot.

[bihutoli]

Lets keep in mind that Yuvraj's century was in a warm up game. Some perspective here please. Pujara's centuries for India A should rank over him if we're talking of current form. However there are a lot of contenders for Yuvi's spot now, but I guess the selectors know there would be other spots opening up when the biggies retire. The competition should be for the next slot as it opens, and for that I think either of Pujara or Raina are first in line.

[thevortex]

^He failed in his test against SA-not the runs but the manner in which he batted..I too wanted him to be in tests but may be its too late- I dont see that happening.

I dont get it. Surely you dont judge a player based on one Test! And not when he has scored a half century on debut in that one Test!! Not everybody is going to clear the ground. And it is not as if we need only players of that ilk in Tests. Imagine a time when Dravid, Laxman and Sachin are no longer there in our team. Then we will need some solidity and maturity which is where I see somebody like Badrinath stepping in. No, he is not the equal of the guys he could potentially replace. But that is hardly possible - even for anybody.

[The Dark Horse]

^Badrinath wont be given a chance, wheras other failures will be given more and more chances. End of discussion.

[thevortex]

^Badrinath wont be given a chance' date=' wheras other failures will be given more and more chances. End of discussion.[/quote'] I understand. More is the pity.

[Ranjha]

Lets keep in mind that Yuvraj's century was in a warm up game. Some perspective here please. Pujara's centuries for India A should rank over him if we're talking of current form. However there are a lot of contenders for Yuvi's spot now, but I guess the selectors know there would be other spots opening up when the biggies retire. The competition should be for the next slot as it opens, and for that I think either of Pujara or Raina are first in line.

Ok keep whining. Yuvraj just scored a century and he is a top guy and he deserves the spot. AND RIGHTLY SO HE GOT IT. End of discussion from my end.

[putrevus]

^Badrinath wont be given a chance' date=' wheras other failures will be given more and more chances. End of discussion.[/quote'] Which Failures got more chances,Badrinath is a middle order batsman who is more suited for test cricket, if big three are back who is he going to replace. Yuvraj has earned the right to get more chances and I think he also knows that this might be his last chance to prove himself.