Pujara vital for India's Test success - Kumble

[gakgupta]

Finally some sense prevails.....

Copying the article from cricinfo

 

India coach Anil Kumble has given his wholehearted backing forCheteshwar Pujara to have an uninterrupted run in the Indian middle order, admitting that it is "not good" that a "sword is always hanging on his head." Pujara lost his spot in the playing XI for the third Test in St. Lucia during India's recent tour of the West Indies, Kumble's first series in-charge, after making 16 and 46 in his previous two innings. His replacement Rohit Sharma made 9 and 41 in that match, and both he and Pujara were included for the final Test in Trinidad, where only 22 overs were possible and India didn't get to bat.

"With modern cricket, everybody looks at the strike rate rather than what that particular player brings to that table," Kumble told ESPNcricinfo. "Pujara is a very important cog in our wheel and when he plays at No. 3, he is a very important player. Yes, there are times when he misses out and Rohit comes in. That's when we probably feel we need someone lower down to accelerate. That's why in one of the Tests in West Indies, he missed out.

 

 

Pujara completes 10,000 first-class runs

Playing in the final of the Duleep Trophy on Saturday, with India coach Anil Kumble and the national selectors present at the ground, Cheteshwar Pujara became the 45th Indian to the landmark of 10,000 first-class runs.

He ended the first day's play with a powerful backfoot drive for four through mid-off and was unbeaten on 111 off 164 balls with a strike-rate of 67.68. His team India Blue had put up 362 for 3 against the Yuvraj Singh-lead India Red

 

 

 

"The one good thing about this team is that all 17 who were in the squad were all available to play and all of them show that intent. If they are playing, they are fine. When they are left out, yes, they are disappointed, but at the same time, they contribute in whatever way they can. Pujara, yes, the sword is always hanging on his head, which is not good. I certainly believe he is a very important player for us and he will play at No. 3, and for us to be successful, he is important to us in the short term and long term as well."

Pujara and Rohit have had to swap places in recent times as India have preferred to employ a five-bowler strategy in Test cricket, leaving room for one less batsman in the XI. Since taking over from MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli has robustly advocated the tactic. Kumble, too, is on-board with the strategy, though he said it "wasn't set in stone".

"It is not mandatory that you look to play five bowlers. It depends on the opposition, the surface and what the team requires," Kumble said. "If we believe that four bowlers are enough to pick up 20 wickets and you need that additional batsman in the team, then we are open for that. It is not that the five-bowler theory is written in stone and we will approach every game like that. With four bowlers, you can win a Test match. Every team that you play has four bowlers and the fifth bowler you play is the all-rounder who fills in 10-15 overs for the other bowlers to come back again and pick the wickets. The approach will certainly be to win every game that you play."

In line with the tactic to play with five frontline bowlers, India made an intriguing decision in the West Indies, asking R Ashwin to bat at No. 6. The move was instantly rewarded - Ashwin made a hundred in the first Test at Antigua and following it up with another one in the third in St.Lucia. Kumble explained that the move was made in order to ease the pressure on wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who was struggling to come to terms with batting in the top six. Saha himself scored a hundred in the series and finished with 205 runs at an average of 51.25

"Obviously, Ashwin has shown in the past what he's capable of as a batsman," Kumble said. "Saha was batting at six and we felt that the pressure that he was getting under wasn't ideal for him. Someone like Ashwin can take that pressure off and then Saha can bat freely, and Ashwin has shown what he's capable of. He's scored two hundreds and made his mark at No. 6 whenever we played five bowlers."

India are scheduled to begin a lengthy home season where they will play 13 Tests, beginning with a three-Test series against New Zealand from September 22.

 

[Tibarn]

13 hours ago, gakgupta said:

"It is not mandatory that you look to play five bowlers. It depends on the opposition, the surface and what the team requires," Kumble said. "If we believe that four bowlers are enough to pick up 20 wickets and you need that additional batsman in the team, then we are open for that. It is not that the five-bowler theory is written in stone and we will approach every game like that. With four bowlers, you can win a Test match. Every team that you play has four bowlers and the fifth bowler you play is the all-rounder who fills in 10-15 overs for the other bowlers to come back again and pick the wickets. The approach will certainly be to win every game that you play."

This is good to read. We shouldn't sacrifice a batsman automatically. There will be cases where 4 bowlers are enough, ie a green pitch or dust bowl, where an extra batsman would provide more value, I believe. 

[express bowling]

Flexibility regarding the number of bowlers, based on the pitch and playing conditions, is what I wanted to hear from the team management.

[kosingh]

On 9/11/2016 at 6:08 AM, gakgupta said:

"With modern cricket, everybody looks at the strike rate rather than what that particular player brings to that table,"

 

What? In test cricket, most of us really look at what a player brings to the table more than we look at his strike rate. Don't know what Kumble is talking about here. 

[tweaker]

I think Virat is going to select Rohit at no 3.He will have to choose between his 5 bowler theory or batting Rohit at no 6.His top priority at the moment seems Rohit 's test career.

He will choose the balance & select Rohit at no 3 & 5 bowlers.

Everybody from Sandip Patil to Kumble to Virat Kohli who are the main decision makers endorses this view

[TheWall]

so much 'Push' for Maggie's career....

[Sandeep99]

Bloody hell Sharma... why do you want test matches when you can show your lazy elegance in IPL and non-descript T20I matches for India? Leave test matches for mortals like Pujara..  

Edited September 15, 2016 by Sandeep99

[kosingh]

Until the management gets Rohit Sharma out of their head, Pujara is not going to have a test career. We know that Rohit is not cut out for tests, but the SOB is taking Pujara down with him.

 

Not saying that Pujara is the answer, but Rohit is certainly not the answer.

[philcric]

27 minutes ago, kosingh said:

Until the management gets Rohit Sharma out of their head, Pujara is not going to have a test career. We know that Rohit is not cut out for tests, but the SOB is taking Pujara down with him.

 

Not saying that Pujara is the answer, but Rohit is certainly not the answer.

Rohit can be the answer if the question is maniacal.

[Vilander]

i am so sick of Rohit Sharma, it would not be too bad if India drop a test in the NZ series. or even 2. 

 

 

[Vilander]

On 9/13/2016 at 3:58 PM, kosingh said:

 

What? In test cricket, most of us really look at what a player brings to the table more than we look at his strike rate. Don't know what Kumble is talking about here. 

May be he ment to say 'everybody(that matters) looks for strike rate'.