![Cheteshwar Pujara](https://trendycricket.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/photo-output-3-780x470.jpeg)
The drought for the ICC trophy for the Indian team extended as they suffered a massive thrashing at the hands of Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final. They were handed a daunting 209 runs defeat and it marked their 9th straight loss in the ICC tournaments and the questions related to the selection, management and other things have started to take a toll.
2 players who can replace Cheteshwar Pujara in Tests
One of the main things that have been in the headlines since India’s loss is the place of Cheteshwar Pujara in the team. The batter was expected to make a huge impact in the final as he had truckloads of runs behind him in the county season. But he failed and now there has been a lot of scrutiny for his place in the team. Let’s take a look at 2 players who can replace Cheteshwar Pujara in Tests
Sarfaraz Khan
One of the hot candidates that is waiting on the sidelines to enter the team is Sarfaraz Khan. The Mumbai batter has been one of the best batters in the Indian domestic circuit and has been piling up a huge amount of runs. It was expected that he would make the cut into the Indian team earlier but due to the packed squad, he wasn’t selected. Also, he can keep wickets as well and being technically sound, he can fit into the team. He’s going through the red-hot form in red-ball cricket and they might look to utilise his form. The right-hander has scored 13 FC tons and has an average of 81.51. It won’t be a surprise if he gets picked in the team for the upcoming West Indies series.
Suryakumar Yadav
Another candidate that BCCI might be keeping an eye on is Suryakumar Yadav. The batter can be the ideal replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara and it’s safe to say that with the game evolving with each passing day, the team needs attacking players Surya in the team. The batter has been part of the Indian setup and also made his debut in the Test series against Australia. Although he batted in just one innings and failed to score big, he looked good to the eyes. It’s fair to say that team has backed him in the Test setup as well and he can be used to up the ante in pressure situations, which is a need for the team these days.