New Delhi. The batting of the Indian team has once again become a topic of discussion during the Australia tour. On the last day of the Melbourne Test, 7 wickets fell in 2 hours and India lost the match. Team India is struggling in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and has lagged 1-2 in the five-match series. The team coached by Gautam Gambhir had started the series with a win in Perth under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah but since then things have not been in their favour. India lost the Adelaide and Melbourne Tests while the third Test at Gabba was drawn due to rain.
Australia made a brilliant comeback in the last session of the fourth Test match and took a 2-1 lead. India’s batting once again failed to save the match. In the last session on the fifth day, India started playing at 112 runs for 3 wickets and were all out at 155 runs even before the end of the day’s play. Coach Gautam Gambhir, who had saved the Indian batting from disintegration during the last few Australia tours, had asked the selectors to give him a place in the team but Ajit Agarkar’s team rejected it.
According to the Indian Express report, head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted Pujara in the Test team, but the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar refused to include him. Pujara, an experienced player of 103 Test matches, had performed brilliantly for India in the Test series wins in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21. He scored 521 runs in the 2018/19 BGT and 271 runs in the next tour. The former vice-captain lost his place in the Test team in early 2022 and again in 2023. The selectors did not decide to recall Pujara and he is doing commentary in this series.
FIRST PUBLISHED : January 1, 2025, 11:58 IST