Former India cricketer and T20 World Cup winner Robin Uthappa suggested that Rohit Sharma-led side will add Cheteshwar Pujara in their squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 squad which is scheduled to take place later this month in Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India have already announced the India squad for the upcoming five Test matches tour against Australia where veteran cricketers like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara missed their spot. Pujara has played 103 Tests for India and his experience in the longest format has been key for Team India. With 7195 runs scored and an average of 43.6, on his day, Pujara’s resilience proved to be the difference between a win and a loss for the side.
Uthappa said that India's squad have mostly aggressive players and a player like Pujara can become an anchor and hold one end up to help batters play freely.
"There is still a place for a player like Cheteshwar Pujara. According to me, a place for him will have to be made in this team as soon as possible. It's a need,” Uthappa said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"We have mostly aggressive batters from No. 1 to No. 6. We need someone like Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahul Dravid, Kane Williamson and Will Young. We always need someone who can become an anchor and hold one end up and all the other batters can bat around him,” he added.
Pujara was last featured for India during Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 which was hosted by India and the hosts defeated Australia 2-1 in four Test match series. Team India will be looking for a win hattrick against Australia and if they manage to do so then they will be the first Asian team who defeat Australia three consecutive times on their home-soil.
After losing 3-0 against New Zealand in three Test match series, the upcoming Australia tour will be crucial for the Rohit Sharma-led side to seal their berth for the World Test Championship Final. India needs to win 4-0 to cement their spot in the WTC final for the third consecutive time.
This Test series will be Rohit Sharma's first red-ball assignment on Australian soil and Australia skipper Pat Cummins will also lead Australia for the first time against India in Test cricket on their home ground.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 schedule
The first Test of the series between India and Australia will take place in Perth from November 22 to 26. Following that, the second Test will be a Day/Night match at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. The third Test is scheduled for The Gabba in Brisbane from December 14 to 18, while the fourth Test will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26 to 30. The series will conclude with the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7.
India squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Travelling reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed.
