Ever since the Indian squad is announced for the three-match Test series against New Zealand, there have been huge debates over the selection of Rohit Sharma. The Mumbai batsman has been a consistent performer in the limited-overs format but has struggled to perform in the longest format of the game.
On the other hand, after being recalled into the Test team, Cheteshwar Pujara has performed quite well. His brilliant form in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy, where he scored 453 runs in only 2 matches, has impressed one and all.
And so when former Indian batsman VVS Laxman was given a choice to pick one of the two he expectedly picked the Gujarat batsman. The Indian team played five bowlers in their last Test series against West Indies and if they persist with the same strategy then only one of the two can feature in the playing eleven.
Speaking to the The Times of India, the legendary batsman said: “Rohit has to get his gameplan right in Tests. You can see in ODIs or T20s, his consistency has a lot to do with the conviction with which he approaches each innings. He lacks that belief in the longer format.”
“Given a choice, I would select Pujara. The number of runs he has made in the Duleep Trophy (453 runs in 3 innings at an average of 226.5) has made his inclusion a certainty . He is the perfect candidate to slot in at No. 3.”
The elegant batsman also heaped lavish praise on in-form batsman KL Rahul.
“The amount KL Rahul has grown in stature over the past year is incredible. His entire body language has changed.
“I think it has a lot to do with Virat Kohli, whose positivity seems to have rubbed off on him since joining RCB in the IPL,” he said.
Laxman also backed Rahul to open the innings for India ahead of Shikhar Dhawan:
“I think he (Rahul) will sneak in ahead of Shikhar. He has been in such terrific form that it is essential to include him across all formats.”
Indian batsmen were considered the best players of spin but the recent times have seen them struggling to play the turning balls. When asked about that, he said: “When we were growing up, every domestic team had two or three quality spinners.Unfortunately , the country isn’t producing as many spinners these days, so there is less opportunity to practice against quality spin. It has a lot to do with the amount of limited-overs cricket that we play these days, especially T20s. Improved bats and more powerful strikers mean any bowler who is scared to get hit becomes defensive.
“It’s very important to ingrain in the spinners right from junior level that they should look to get wickets rather than wait for the batsman to commit a mistake. The common factor between all successful spinners around the world is their attitude, not technique.”
The stylish batsman, who is now working as a commentator represented India in 134 Tests and scored 8781 runs.