As the Indian selectors meet to pick the Test team for the series against Sri Lanka, the position of Cheteshwar Pujara seems most vulnerable. It was the most unlikeliest of scenarios till a couple of years back, when Pujara seemed in unbelievably good nick, and was being hailed as the next 'Wall'. In international cricket, things can change very quickly, and this is what the Saurashtra batsman may have realised. Pujara did not play against Bangladesh as well, with the think tank preferring Rohit Sharma. He was the only possible weak link in the team, and with Rohit being preferred, the doors may be shut on Pujara temporarily.
The change in guard at the top hasn't helped Pujara's cause. While MS Dhoni valued his technical prowess, the new skipper Virat Kohli favours aggression, which Rohit brings to the table, although consistency may not be his forte. If you look at the Indian batting line up, there isn't place for Pujara to be accommodated in the current scenario. He cannot open as well, as they are already three players in the running for the same --Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan. If Rohit occupies one position, then the middle order automatically picks itself with Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and keeper Wriddhiman Saha completing the line up.
Whether or not Pujara is picked for the Lanka Tests, the fact remains that he still needs to work on his batting, which has hit an elongated poor patch in the last couple of years. With his technique and temperament, he was expected to excel in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. Things began on a bright note when he scored big runs in South Africa. But, all began going wrong in New Zealand, and only worsened during the disastrous tours of England and Australia. The manner of his dismissals in England and Australia were clear indications of the fact that Pujara's confidence was at an all-time low.
After a fantastic start to international cricket, Pujara finds himself at that stage of his career, where he is struggling to survive -- a phase which most cricketers go through unless you are a Tendulkar or a Lara. Since technique is so paramount to Pujara's success as a international batsman, there are only two ways he can go from here -- the Sanjay Manjrekar way or the Rahul Dravid way. Both these former Indian batsmen had extremely solid techniques, but while one ended up having an average international career, the other went on to become a legend.
The difference between the careers of Dravid and Manjrekar was that while one modified his game to suit the demands of international cricket, the other got stuck in a mental rut, and by the time he realised where he was going wrong, it was too late in the day. Pujara now finds himself at the crossroads stage from where Dravid and Manjrekar took contrasting paths. It will be a challenge for him to regain his poise and confidence. Like Dravid, he needs to find a middle ground where he can balance technique and the pace of scoring. Dravid has shown that it can be done, so there is no reason to believe that Pujara can't do it. Whether he recovers to become a better batsman is another matter altogether.
--By A Cricket Analyst
