WI vs IND: Shami likely to be rested, Sanju Samson set to make comeback, Pujara’s place debatable – Report

A report by Cricbuzz has suggested that Pujara’s place in the upcoming 2-Test series against West Indies is up for debate because of his below-par performances over the year. The 35-year-old hasn’t scored a hundred in his last 28 Tests (52 innings) and scored runs at an average of 29.69 since 2020.

The Saurashtra star was dropped in 2022 before he made a comeback and scored 90 and 102 not out runs against Bangladesh in the Chittagong Test in December. Once these two scores are removed, Pujara’s average drops to 26.31.

The right-hand batter’s shot selection has also come under the scanner after his scores of 14 and 27 across the two innings of the WTC final.

In case Pujara is dropped, Mumbai batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to replace him at number three. The remaining top five batters – Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are set to retain their spots. Rohit is set to continue as the Test captain in the foreseeable future.

“Every Test is important, and its result contributes to the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. We cannot experiment in a Test match,” a source told Cricbuzz.

Further, KS Bharat is likely to retain his Test spot despite his poor run with the bat in the WTC Final. However, Sanju Samson could make a comeback in the ODI and T20I squad alongside Ishan Kishan.

Mohammed Shami is set to be rested for the two Tests but could be named in the ODI squad keeping in mind the upcoming World Cup 2023. The pacer has bowled non-stop since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He played 17 matches in the IPL and the management is planning to give him a break to manage his workload.

Mohammed Siraj is another bowler whose workload could be managed. He could travel with the squad but used sparingly to ensure he is in good shape for the Asia Cup and World Cup.

Also, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are likely to be included in the squad too. Umran played just 8 out of 14 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2023 and was highly expensive. It is unclear whether he will be considered for Tests, ODIs and/or T20Is.