BCCI Ray of Hope for Cheteshwar Pujara after Team India Snub: "If Ajinkya Rahane can be made vice captain...
Cheteshwar Pujara was not included in India’s squad for the two test series against the West Indies, which is going to start on July 12, as he failed to perform well in the finals of the World Test Championship. However, as per a report, Pujara's chances of making a comeback for the Indian team have not fully extinguished. A BCCI source has indicated that while the doors are open for Pujara to return to the Test squad, the batter will have to grind it out. When most of the Indian players were participating in the IPL, Pujara was batting gloriously for Sussex, peeling off consecutive centuries against Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. However, despite having played so much cricket at The Oval and gained a substantial amount of experience over the past year, Pujara was dismissed cheaply by the Aussies for 14 and 27.
As per the statement of a BCCI Official, "If Ajinkya Rahane can be made vice captain of the Test team after being out for 15 months before the WTC final, anyone can make a comeback. The doors aren't closed on any senior player. It's just that you need to start transitioning somewhere. The selectors don't want a situation where all seniors quit the scene in one go and we don't have anyone experienced left in the dressing room."