BCCI selector Ajit Agarkar denied Cheteshwar Pujara a return to Indian test side – Reports

Ajit Agarkar has been leading the selection commitee since July 2023.

Cheteshwar Pujara was on cusp of making his Indian team return in the recent series against England, only for BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar to reject the idea and block his comeback.

As per the Hindustan Times report, a BCCI source revealed that Cheteshwar Pujara’s name was being considered to provide some experience to the batting lineup in the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. However, Ajit Agarkar decided not to recall the seasoned batter and instead gave Padikkal his first test call-up.

Padikkal was added to the India squad after KL Rahul was ruled out due to injury ahead of the third test in Rajkot. According to the report, Pujara was considered because of his strong domestic record, but Agarkar believed that Padikkal’s height would give him an advantage against England bowlers, and he was also performing well in the Ranji Trophy.

“There was a discussion about Cheteshwar Pujara, who was scoring runs in the Ranji Trophy. The batting line-up literally had no experience. But Agarkar stood firm on looking ahead with Padikkal’s selection. He was present when he hit a fluent 150 in a Ranji Trophy and he believed that his height would come in handy against the inexperienced England spinners,” the source said.

Ajit Agarkar also responsible for Dhruv Jurel’s inclusion in Indian team

With Ishan Kishan being sidelined, Jurel was picked as the backup wicket-keeper. Jurel did not make the starting XI for the first two tests before making his debut in the Rajkot test. He made an immediate impact, scoring 46 runs to help India reach 400 runs. He was named Player of the Match in the fourth test after scoring excellent runs in both inninigs with the bat.

“It was Agarkar who suggested Jurel’s name. The team management wasn’t too confident about him as he was still a rookie. Picking a youngster who hasn’t had much red-ball exposure at the top level straightaway into the Indian side for an important series like England was always going to be a brave call but Agarkar had seen enough to vouch for the youngster,” a BCCI source told Hindustan Times.

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