India’s first series in the 2023–25 World Test Championship cycle will be against the West Indies, however, it is unlikely that the selection committee would make any significant changes. For this Test series, only a handful of players are anticipated to be rested or dropped. Cheteshwar Pujara, a skilled player, is one of those who may be dropped. According to rumors, Yashasvi Jaiswal is in a strong position to take over the duties of the 35-year-old batting veteran.
Apart from Virat Kohli, India’s top batter Cheteshwar Pujara is the only Indian cricketer in the team who has represented India in more than 100 Test matches. However, Pujara’s place in the Test team once more appears in doubt following his two failures against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at the Oval in London last week.
Contrary to earlier speculations, Rohit Sharma is expected to remain the Test captain. “Every Test is important, and its result contributes to the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. We cannot experiment in a Test match,” says a source cited by the website Cricbuzz.
In the last 40 innings, Pujara has only 1 century and 10 half-centuries with an average of around 29. Four of the team’s top five batters—Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane—will retain their places in the lineup for the two Test matches in Dominica and Trinidad, while Cheteshwar Pujara’s position is up in the air.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been the buzz in the town ever since he amassed 625 runs with a strike rate of 164 during the IPL 2023. These numbers are indeed amazing, but they only tell part of the tale.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had a spectacular season, even when using traditional principles. He was the leader for the Rajasthan Royals in terms of runs (625), average (48.08), fifty-plus scores (six), fours (82), sixes (26), and also the only centurion of the team.
These are IPL numbers, but if we look at his first-class numbers, they are even more impressive. In a total of 26 innings, he has scored 1845 runs with an average of 80.21 and 9 centuries and 2 half centuries. His strike rate also remains around 70 and his highest score is 265.
READ: WTC 2023-25 Schedule: India’s Full Schedule, Match List | World Test Championship
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