'He has played 100 Tests, he deserves respect.'
Despite India's collective batting failure in the World Test Championship final against Australia, senior pro Cheteshwar Pujara was the only casualty for next month's two-Test series against the West Indies.
Pujara scored 14 and 27 in the two innings as India went down by 209 runs earlier this month, but the senior duo of Rohit Sharma (15 +43) and Virat Kohli (14 +49) were spared the same fate.
Even in the last WTC cycle from 2021-2023, Pujara's record are not far behind Kohli.
While Kohli made 932 runs from 17 matches at an average of 32, Pujara scored 928 runs from the same number of matches -- with both hitting a century each.
Captain Rohit, who missed quite a few games during the WTC cycle 2021-2023, scored 758 runs from 11 games at an average of 42 with two centuries and as many fifties.
So it was not surprising that batting great Sunil Gavaskar slammed the selectors for making Pujara the 'scapegoat' for India's disastrous showing in the WTC final.
'Why has he been made the scapegoat for our batting failures? He has been a loyal servant of Indian cricket, a quiet and able achiever. But because he doesn't have millions of followers on whatever platforms who would make a noise in case he gets dropped, you drop him? That is something beyond understanding,' Gavaskar told Sports Today.
Gavaskar raised an important point that in the absence of a media interaction with the selection committee, there is no one to ask why Pujara has been left out and not the others.
'What is the criteria for dropping him and keeping the others who failed. I don't know because nowadays there is no media interaction with the selection committee chairman or whoever where you could actually ask these questions.'
Pujara was dropped for the Sri Lanka Test series at home last year after India were beaten in South Africa. However, after a strong showing with the bat in English county cricket, he was picked for the rescheduled fifth Test against England in Birmingham, in which he scored a half-century, and followed it up with a 90 and 102 not out against Bangladesh.
But he struggled on the spin-friendly pitches in the four-Test series against Australia earlier this year, tallying 140 runs from four Tests at an average of 28.
It looks like the end of the road for the 35-year-old Pujara, with India set to fast track the young Yashasvi Jaiswal into the Test team with the 21 year old set to take over the crucial No 3 slot.
Gavaskar reckoned that age should be a criterion for selection.
'Nowadays players can play till they are 39 or 40, there is nothing wrong with that. They are all very fit and as long as you are producing runs or taking wickets, I don't think age should be a factor.
'Clearly only one man has been singled out while the others also failed. To me, the batting failed (in the WTC final), Apart from Ajinkya Rahane, there was nobody who got any runs. So why Pujara has been made the fall guy is something the selectors need to explain,' he added.
Former spinner Harbhajan Singh hopes Pujara has been 'rested' and not dropped as the same logic should apply for all players.
'Cheteshwar Pujara isn't there, which makes me worried. He has been a big player for India. Hopefully, he us also given a break and not dropped.
'Pujara is the backbone of this team. If you're dropping him, then the averages of other batters haven't been good either. The benchmarks should be same for all players, no matter how big a player you are,' Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
'If you don't consider Pujara a key player, by that logic, others aren't key players either. There shouldn't be question marks about his career. India won series in Australia and led in England and wherever India played good, he has contributed efficiently.
'He hasn't performed quite consistently in the past 1-1.5 years, but then have a look at other batters as well, almost similar figures. So, to single him out isn't right.
'He has played 100 Tests, he deserves respect. I hope there was communication between selectors and Pujara before this decision. He still has it in him to perform in Test cricket.'
