"I'm happy that Cheteshwar Pujara is not here.." Josh Hazlewood jokes ahead of BGT 2024-25

Josh Hazlewood has dismissed Pujara six times in test cricket.

Senior Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has expressed a huge relief that he won’t have to come up against Cheteshwar Pujara in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

The BGT 2024-25 will get underway on November 22 in Perth. This is the first time since the 1991/92 series that these two sides will meet in a five-match test series.

India have won the last two test series in Australia and one of the biggest contributors to both those triumphs was Pujara. In those two trips, Pujara scored 792 runs in eight tests at an average of 52 with three centuries and four fifties.

As important as his runs were, equally important was the amount of balls he faced and the time he spent at the crease to tire out the Australian pacers. Pujara faced 2186 balls in the two series combined and frustrated the Australian quicks.

Pujara makes you earn his wicket every time: Josh Hazlewood

He is, though, not part of the Indian test squad anymore. And Hazlewood is pleased at the prospect of not facing Pujara in the upcoming five-test series.

“I am happy that Cheteshwar Pujara is not here. He is obviously someone who bats time and spends a lot of time at the crease and makes you earn his wicket every time. Has done really well in Australia on previous tours,” Hazlewood said at the press conference.

Shubman Gill had replaced Pujara at the No. 3 spot as the veteran batsman’s form fell off.

“I mean there are always first-class young players coming into the team. There is so much pressure to perform in the Indian team. With so many guys nipping at the hills all the time, so overall the playing XI is a mix of unbelievable players. So it does not really matter, they are all big players,” Hazlewood added.

Gill, however, is set to miss the Perth test owing to a thumb injury.

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