Former all-rounder Karsan Ghavri hopes Pujara can return to India ranks

Former India allrounder Karsan Ghavri whose contribution to the growth of Cheteshwar Pujara is significant hopes that the nowexcluded India No3 batsman can make a comeback because the team still need a player like himGhavri who represented Saurashtra before moving to Mumbai played a key role in advising Pujararsquos father Arvind when the batsman was growing upOn one of his early trips to Mumbai in the 1990s young Pujara batted at the nets of Ghavrirsquos former employers Bharat Petroleum and impressed those present That player ended up playing 100plus TestsCheteshwar Pujara plays the uppercut during the WTC final last monthPICGetty ImagesBut the road hasnrsquot been smooth Despite some monumental performances over the years Pujara has been criticised for his slow batting More recently he got dropped and is not part of Indiarsquos Test team in the West IndiesPujara played for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy final that concluded on Sunday with the South Zone clinching the title His lack of form continued as he only managed scores of nine and 15Also Read Dropping Cheteshwar Pujara from Tests a positive move Lalchand RajputGhavri was quick to admit that Pujara is looking off colour but hopes he can return to form ldquoHis form is slightly poor yes but there is class too I hope he can bounce back soon India need players who can hold one end and bat long Pujara can do thatrdquo remarked GhavriHe slammed the decision of the selectors to drop Pujara after Indiarsquos loss to Australia in the World Test Championship final where Pujara could manage only 14 and 27ldquoItrsquos not a fair call to drop him they couldrsquove rested him Someone who has played 100plus Tests and has played so many memorable innings deserves more respect If you think longterm he could be valuable when India tour South Africa 2024 They shouldrsquove kept him in the squadrdquo said GhavriPujara doesnrsquot emerge radiant in the numbers game His batting average since the start of 2020 in 28 Tests is 2969 as opposed to a career average of 4360 Cheteshwar Pujara PICGetty Images Pujara was dismissed while playing an uppercut shot in Indiarsquos second innings of the WTC finalThe ball by Australia skipper Pat Cummins took a feather off the face of his bat and was pouched by wicketkeeper Alex CareyWith that dismissal in mind Ghavri made it clear that Pujara need not do anything differently in order to succeed He just needs to focus and play ldquoHe doesnrsquot need to change his technique No need to experiment Test cricket is situationbased His dismissal in the second innings of the WTC finalhellip I have never seen him play that shot in 100 Tests Itrsquos not his shot itrsquos not his game No need to do thatrdquo said Ghavri who took 109 wickets and made 913 runs in 39 Tests