Dropped Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara feels Washington Sundar should continue at No. 5, with Dhruv Jurel coming in at No. 7 for the final Test against England at The Oval, starting July 31. Following Rishabh Pant’s toe fracture, Sundar moved up the order and batted at No. 5 in the second innings of the fourth Test in Manchester.
He made full use of the promotion, scoring his first Test century and playing a key role in securing a draw for India. With Pant ruled out of the last match, Jurel is likely to take over as the wicketkeeper. Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Pujara shared his thoughts on India’s revised batting line-up in Pant’s absence.
“Sai Sudharsan will be at No. 3. The bigger change will be Dhruv Jurel coming in at No. 5 instead of Rishabh Pant. I would actually be tempted to put Washington at No. 5 and Dhruv Jurel can bat at No. 7 because Jadeja stays at 6.”
“He shouldn’t change his position but Washington can bat at No. 5 and being a left-hander it’ll be good because Rishabh was batting at No. 5 and he had very good success because he is a left-hander as well.”
“England Struggle Against Left-Handers” – Pujara Highlights Bowling Weakness
Cheteshwar Pujara feels Washington Sundar should continue at No. 5 rather than Dhruv Jurel for the Oval Test, citing England’s weakness against left-handed batters. He pointed to how the home side found it difficult to dislodge the left-handed pair of Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja on the final day of the fourth Test in Manchester.
The duo stitched together an unbroken 203-run stand for the fifth wicket, guiding India to 425/4 in their second innings and ensuring the match ended in a draw.
“Left-handers make a big difference in English conditions. Stats might be suggesting something else but England bowlers definitely struggle to bowl against left-hand batters and we saw it today, when the left-handers were batting, they looked like they were very comfortable against the seamers,” said Pujara (via the aforementioned source).
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