Not Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara names surprise pick as best player of spin

Team India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara named a surprise pick whom he believes plays spin better than himself.

In a video posted by ESPNcricinfo, Pujara was given several options while being asked to name a player who is better than him at playing spin. When Joe Root`s name came up, Pujara responded with a tentative `maybe`. However, the 37-year-old eventually picked former Pakistan batter Younis Khan as someone he believes is superior to him against spin.

Speaking about Team India stalwart Virat Kohli, Pujara said, “I would say par, in terms of stats, his numbers suggest that he is a good player of spin.”

Younis Khan, during his playing days, was known for scoring heavily against spin. In 118 Test matches, the right-hander amassed 10,099 runs, including 34 centuries and 33 half-centuries.

By comparison, Kohli scored 9,230 runs in 123 Test matches for India before stepping away from the format. He finished with 30 centuries and 31 fifties.

New Zealand`s Kane Williamson, on the other hand, has scored 3,784 runs against spin at an average of 65.24, having been dismissed 58 times in 134 innings. England’s highest Test run-getter, Joe Root, has tallied 4,957 runs against spin at an average of 60.45 in 209 innings, with 82 dismissals.

Team India will now face England in a five-match Test series without the presence of Cheteshwar Pujara. The team will be led by newly appointed captain Shubman Gill, with Rishabh Pant serving as his deputy.

With Pujara left out of the squad, either Karun Nair or Shubman Gill is expected to occupy the No. 3 spot in India’s batting order during the series.

The five-match Test series will take place from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord`s and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).

Ind vs Eng Test series: Squads

India squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.

England squad: Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

(With ANI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day