Pujara Should be in the ODI Squad Now

[Old guy]

Completely agree, he should open for an IPL team. RCB need to drop Aggarwal (not sure if spelling is correct) down the order. Pujara is a class act and is a must in the 50 over team. Rahane should also be given a go. One of GG/Sehwag and Rohit (has had enough chances) have to be dropped to make way for these two.

with rahane,pujara and kohli as our top 3...thts solid looking batting line up with good hitters like dhoni,yuvi and raina to come and also pathan can strike few big ones! we dont need guys like sehwag at top imo it time we start planning for australia sehwag will be retired before australia...

[rkt.india]

Completely agree, he should open for an IPL team. RCB need to drop Aggarwal (not sure if spelling is correct) down the order. Pujara is a class act and is a must in the 50 over team. Rahane should also be given a go. One of GG/Sehwag and Rohit (has had enough chances) have to be dropped to make way for these two.

He had already opened for RCB in 2011 but didnt had much success. He will this year too.

[bharat297]

@Bharat that has been the case even without IPL. Money had always been there. SRT had 100 crore contract with world tel in 1996. IPL money is nothing in front if that. Pujara and Rahane both have contrasting personalities to Kohli. Kohli is flamboyent, more expressive but still concentrates on his cricket as much as any. Other two are more in Dravid/SRT mold.

Thats true money was there before but previously you had to earn your way to that kind of money through years of toil in Tests and ODIs (e.g. Sachin in 1996). Nowadays you can get $2m for taking part in a 6-week slogfest, scoring on average 20 runs a match, whereas a Grade A BCCI contract earns you $186,000. The work-for-reward ratio is quite low and thus it's so easy to get carried away with IPL. It takes a special kind of person to be able to look at IPL for what it is, and still focus on Test cricket. I hope Kohli is that but I still have my doubts (I sincerely hope I'm wrong). I think the Test will be how he handles a prolonged form slump like Gambhir is now. Gambhir now is largely in denial about his slump whilst collecting a $2m+ paycheck for KKR. Why would he bother trying to turn around his Test form? I'm worried about more players facing that dilemma. Like I said, I am speaking out of fear. I'm not saying Pujara will succumb to that (or that Kohli will either) but I'm just saying that it's a concern.

[daryl1985]

He had already opened for RCB in 2011 but didnt had much success. He will this year too.

He deserves a longer rope. With Gayle taking up the other opening slot, they can easily shift Aggarwal down the batting line-up as a lower order hitter.

[TestPlayer]

Completely agree, he should open for an IPL team. RCB need to drop Aggarwal (not sure if spelling is correct) down the order.

I don't know if you guys are concerned about IPL or "Indian Cricket". Why are you so concerned any spoiling another talented player? Talents like Pujara aren't born everyday. If I were the head of BCCI, I would pay Pujara the amount we would have got from IPL and let him focus only on Test cricket. IPL has already wasted lots of talented Indian players and we don't need (afford) to spoil a talent of Pujara's class. I think, we got to agree that T20 and Test are two very different types of cricket. If the same player tries to play both of them, ultimately he won't succeed in any. Take Gautam Gambhir for example. Was such a classy test player. Did some slogging early this year in IPL and now you can see the result. Murali Vijay is another great example. We should build completely different squads for tests and T20s. A single player shouldn't be allowed to play both the forms. In the long run, Indian cricket would be benefited.

[Trundler27]

I think there's a huge difference between IPL spoiling or wasting our talent and the BCCI grooming the talent properly for various formats and conditions 1 - The biggest problem I have with IPL is that it is killing the already weak desire of our youngsters to do well for India in the longer formats. There is nothing else really; because if you notice then you'll see that all the Aussie youngsters are playing BBL and so do the tailunts in England, SAf, etc in their local leagues. But despite all that they have an overarching desire to succeed for their national team in test cricket. Our youngsters just don't seem to have the same desire to succeed in test cricket and hence don't give much due to improving technique and stamina as such. 2 - Once you find a player with exceptional talent and desire to succeed for the national team across all formats then it is imperative for him to be groomed as such. E.g., Kohli, Pujara, and many upcoming bowlers. Unfortunately most of these youngsters have no idea about how their careers will shape up. On the other hand look at how Aussies groomed Clarke and now Cummins 3 - Amarnath was absolutely right when he said our selectors are a bunch of bloody jokers because now it is very obvious that the buck stops with Srinivasan and the selectors are just their to act as guinea pigs for meetings, announcing teams etc. Our selection process has no vision and no method. So the wrong players continue to get selected for all formats. It is a big mess For 2013 to be better, we need to hope that some of this player management is improved and the selection process gets a semblance of method and vision incorporated within it. Otherwise look forward to another blunder-filled and embarrassing year.

[TestPlayer]

I think there's a huge difference between IPL spoiling or wasting our talent and the BCCI grooming the talent properly for various formats and conditions 1 - The biggest problem I have with IPL is that it is killing the already weak desire of our youngsters to do well for India in the longer formats. There is nothing else really; because if you notice then you'll see that all the Aussie youngsters are playing BBL and so do the tailunts in England, SAf, etc in their local leagues. But despite all that they have an overarching desire to succeed for their national team in test cricket. Our youngsters just don't seem to have the same desire to succeed in test cricket and hence don't give much due to improving technique and stamina as such. 2 - Once you find a player with exceptional talent and desire to succeed for the national team across all formats then it is imperative for him to be groomed as such. E.g., Kohli, Pujara, and many upcoming bowlers. Unfortunately most of these youngsters have no idea about how their careers will shape up. On the other hand look at how Aussies groomed Clarke and now Cummins 3 - Amarnath was absolutely right when he said our selectors are a bunch of bloody jokers because now it is very obvious that the buck stops with Srinivasan and the selectors are just their to act as guinea pigs for meetings, announcing teams etc. Our selection process has no vision and no method. So the wrong players continue to get selected for all formats. It is a big mess For 2013 to be better, we need to hope that some of this player management is improved and the selection process gets a semblance of method and vision incorporated within it. Otherwise look forward to another blunder-filled and embarrassing year.

I (almost) fully agree with you, trundler. Almost because, IPL is different compared to the local leagues of other countries. No other country pays players huge sums in theirs domestic leagues like in IPL. And it's because of this reason that (as you very rightly stated) the Indian players are losing the intent to succeed at the national level. And I think it sounds foolish to me to think of IPL as a "domestic cricket" league. It's pure business and nothing else. Players are happy, commentators are happy, crowds (excluding true "Indian" cricket followers like me and you) are happy, businessman like Shah Rukh Khan are happy, Mamata Banerjee is happy and so are people of Bengal because of a team with Kolkata in its name and 1 Bengal player won the IPL !! What a big mess ! Indian cricket is doomed and I don't see how it will rise again in the foreseeable future. And people here are saying a rare talent like Pujara should be wasted by opening for an IPL team. What a shame !!

[King Tendulkar]

Pujara playing today for banglaore and opening batting(good move kohli). So fit and raring to go. Ridiculous this guy is not in odi squad.

[cowboysfan]

Pujara playing today for banglaore and opening batting(good move kohli). So fit and raring to go. Ridiculous this guy is not in odi squad.

Wtf? I thought he was injured.he would have been an ideal opener in english conditions.

[Sachin=GOD]

I would like Pujara to concentrate only on Test cricket but of course it won't happen because there are far more important tournaments like tamasha.

[saneindian]

I would like Pujara to concentrate only on Test cricket but of course it won't happen because there are far more important tournaments like tamasha.

When even Gods and Sirs give so much importance to tamasha who is Pujara to say no to it.

[G_B_]

exactly some good batting from Che in punjab there.

[Sachin=GOD]

When even Gods and Sirs give so much importance to tamasha who is Pujara to say no to it.

I've said from the day IPL started that I'd be very happy if Goddy didn't play in this and I still hold that opinion.

[King Tendulkar]

Pujara gets 50 with a strike rate of over 100. Bonkers that not played an odi for india yet. Would have been perfect for champions trophy. Plus would benefit him to get even better in tests. Sound move by Kohli. As soon as pujara fit , gets him straight in to open. Dhoni wake up

[saneindian]

Pujara gets 50 with a strike rate of over 100. Bonkers that not played an odi for india yet. Would have been perfect for champions trophy. Plus would benefit him to get even better in tests. Sound move by Kohli. As soon as pujara fit , gets him straight in to open. Dhoni wake up

Has opened almost every match in the little IPL he has played, no?

[King Tendulkar]

Has opened almost every match in the little IPL he has played' date=' no?[/quote'] No idea, dont follow IPL that closley:giggle:

[express bowling]

If Pujara is fit then why is he not in the ODI squad, especially because he is one of the few who can play well in England. Really bad selection.

[SLICKR392]

If Pujara is fit then why is he not in the ODI squad' date=' especially because he is one of the few who can play well in England. Really bad selection.[/quote'] He might be in the SA A tour but he should have been there ahead of Vijay.

[msb1991]

I don't think there is any doubt that Pujara will do just fine in ODI cricket.

[Karan114]

I've said from the day IPL started that I'd be very happy if Goddy didn't play in this and I still hold that opinion.

Only problem is, Goddy loves this third rate tamasha cricket so much that back in 2011, he even skipped a Test series in which he could have represented his country at the highest level of the game just so that he could play the full two months of this tamasha rubbish.