Pujara : Our New No.3

[skindia]

Raina should bat at no 3....

[carnish]

raina at 6 , pujara at 5, kohli at 3 once lachuu retires .. hope lachuu has a good farewell series

[Number]

Kohli at no. 4. Sachin and Laxman at 5 and 6. http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/With-the-future-in-mind-Pujara-and-Kohli-should-bat-at-No-3-No-4-respectively/17006

In the past, a number of great players have pushed down the order in the twilights of their careers to give youngsters a chance at the top and mentor them for the big role.

[virufan]

Tests: Viru, Gauti, Pujara, SRT, Kohli, Raina, (in indian conditions) Dhoni, Ashwin/Ojha (or both in Indian conditions), Zaheer, Umesh, Awana

[virufan]

Someone should replace Raina for overseas tests. The search is still on. Rahane failed in A tour to West Indies. So we still don't know about his technique against the moving/short ball.

[CG]

It should be pujara.

[Number]

Someone should replace Raina for overseas tests. The search is still on. Rahane failed in A tour to West Indies. So we still don't know about his technique against the moving/short ball.

Does it make sense that while we are in India/SC we should play Raina and while touring abroad we should put someone in his place who we are not even playing in India and has zero experience at the test level. In 10 home tests one of our aims should be to build a team for abroad tours.

[kubrickian]

Our batting order in tests kinda looks weak to me after Dravid and Laxman have retired. Quite a few noobs in there with Sehwag at the top who could get out any moment.

[CricLind]

Ishant Sharma at No.3 Play him as a specialist bat/batting all-rounder. Another Gillespie in the making!

[virufan]

Does it make sense that while we are in India/SC we should play Raina and while touring abroad we should put someone in his place who we are not even playing in India and has zero experience at the test level. In 10 home tests one of our aims should be to build a team for abroad tours.

Since we still did not find a suitable test player (no confidence that Rahane and Tiwary will do better than Raina), we have to settle with Raina who is not bad.

[J P K]

it will be kohli

[vamos_rafa]

Ajinkya Rahane is the only player that comes to my mind who can take that position but in all likeliness Rohit Sharma will play ahead of him in the Test matches :facepalm:

So they have roped in Badrinath. I beleive Rahane is already a part of the test squad isn't he? Better off they should play Rahane as an opener, and get Sehwag down the order. Badri has waited long for another opportunity, but it's better off that Rahane plays ahead of him as he has been a part of the squad for a longer period of time.

[Crookbond]

So they have roped in Badrinath. I beleive Rahane is already a part of the test squad isn't he? Better off they should play Rahane as an opener, and get Sehwag down the order. Badri has waited long for another opportunity, but it's better off that Rahane plays ahead of him as he has been a part of the squad for a longer period of time.

Yes - Rahane and Raina both in the squad. Here's my XI for the first Dantmanjan Test match 1 Rahane 2 Gambhir 3 Tendulkar 4 Pujara 5 Kohli 6 Sehwag 7 Dhoni 8 Ojha 9 Ashwin 10 U Yadav 11 Zaheer Khan But, I think the actual XI will look like 1 Gambhir 2 Sehwag 3 Pujara 4 Tendulkar 5 Kohli 6 Raina 7 Dhoni 8 Ashwin 9 Zaheer Khan 10 U Yadav 11 P Ojha

[BeautifulGame]

Do people even remember how badly Raina struggled at home even we play Newzealand. He is simply not good enough for test cricket home or away.Just like Yuvi regardless how great an ODI cricketer he turns out to be.

[carnish]

Yes - Rahane and Raina both in the squad. Here's my XI for the first Dantmanjan Test match 1 Rahane 2 Gambhir 3 Tendulkar 4 Pujara 5 Kohli 6 Sehwag 7 Dhoni 8 Ojha 9 Ashwin 10 U Yadav 11 Zaheer Khan But, I think the actual XI will look like 1 Gambhir 2 Sehwag 3 Pujara 4 Tendulkar 5 Kohli 6 Rohit Sharma 7 Dhoni 8 Ashwin 9 Zaheer Khan 10 U Yadav 11 P Ojha

Rohit aint in the test side .. so that cannot be the actual XI I guess the actual XI will be like this: Gambo Viru Kohli Tendu Pujara Raina Dhoni Ashwin Zaheer Ojha Ishant

[Crookbond]

Rohit aint in the test side .. so that cannot be the actual XI I guess the actual XI will be like this: Gambo Viru Kohli Tendu Pujara Raina Dhoni Ashwin Zaheer Ojha Ishant

Thanks for the correction - edited my post.

[carnish]

Thanks for the correction - edited my post.

Welcome :desiman:

[yoda]

Kohli for me #3. Haven't seen much of Pujara of late and he is coming back from injuries.

[jj_28]

A 'second debut' for Cheteshwar Pujara

A 'second debut' for Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara, recalled into the Test squad for the New Zealand series, is treating his comeback as his "second debut". One of the impressive young batsmen to have come out in the last five years on the domestic circuit, Pujara was a popular choice to take a place in the Indian middle order once the top guns walked out of the game. And with two berths opening up after the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Pujara feels he is "motivated and passionate" while not being fussy about his position in the batting order. Pujara, who made a match-winning debut in Bangalore against Australia in 2010, played just two further Tests before a knee injury in IPL 2011 sidelined him for six months. Recovering from the surgery, he missed out on the home series against West Indies late last year, but was eager to get a ticket for the Australia tour. However, the selectors did not have enough confidence since Pujara, who plays for Saurashtra, had not had quality match practice. Pujara made just 200 runs during last season's Ranji Trophy, but stronger performances on the recent India A tour of the West Indies, where he topped the run-charts, put him back in the reckoning. "I have been working hard on making a comeback. It has been delayed because there were not many games but I did whatever I could in domestic format and with India A. But I do not want to rush. I'm going to be calm and play my natural game," Pujara told ESPNcricinfo immediately after being picked for the Tests. Making a comeback was never going to be easy. Pujara was hurt by some pundits questioning his fitness levels. But, working alongside his father Arvind, his driving force and mentor, Pujara made the finer adjustments to his batting. "When you come back after a six-month lay-off it is difficult to straightaway catch the rhythm. You need to start from the scratch. But once you cross those hurdles then you get mentally tough," Pujara said. He knew he could not throw away a lifetime of hard work. "I am fully motivated. This is the moment I have always worked hard for. There is hunger and passion about playing at the highest level. It is once again a debut game for me." Mentally adept and patient, Pujara, who is only 24, has blended those qualities with his batting skills which have remained sound and fluent from his age-group cricket days. Though the likes of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have made more headlines in the last year, Pujara has remained a favourite to take the important No. 3 slot vacated by Dravid. It was the same position he batted in the nets today in Hyderabad during the Indian training session, with Kohli at No. 5; the other two contenders - Rahane and S Badrinath - batted late down the order. However, Pujara does not want to be picky about his position in the batting order. "It is a team game so most of the time you have to see the comfort of the team, not your own. As a batsman I need to be flexible. I am a youngster who is making a comeback and not someone who is settled in the batting order so I should not be demanding. Yes, once I prove myself at a particular position then I can say I would like to bat at this number."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2012/content/current/story/578694.html Suprising to see Raina not being considered Rahane at no.6 is a bad idea much rather play him at 3 and Pujara at 6

[Sean Bradley]

No one can replace Dravid in this team, but if he turns out to be half as good as The Wall, i will be Glad.