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'Why Only Him?': Sunil Gavaskar Questions Pujara’s Omission from India’s Test Squad

image-lj9nuwsbPujara was dropped from the West Indies tour [AP Photos]

Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticized the selectors for singling out Cheteshwar Pujara and dropping him from India's Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against the West Indies. Gavaskar believes that Pujara has become a scapegoat to divert attention from the failures of other top-order batsmen in Test cricket.

Pujara's exclusion from the squad for the West Indies series has sparked widespread debate. Regarded as red-ball specialist, Pujara endured a lacklustre phase in the highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) Final, mustering scores of 14 and 27 across both innings. 

It was a disheartening outcome for India as they succumbed to defeat against Australia in the WTC final, which took place at the Oval. With the exception of Ajinkya Rahane, the remaining Indian batters struggled to perform in the summit clash against Australia. Surprisingly, it was only Pujara who faced the brunt of being dropped from the squad.

The 73-year-old highlighted the absence of a press conference to unveil the squad, depriving the chance to scrutinize the selectors' choice in omitting Pujara. He raised doubts about the rationale behind singling out Pujara.

"Why has he (Cheteshwar Pujara) been dropped? Why has he been made the scapegoat for our batting failures. He has been a loyal servant of Indian cricket. A loyal and quiet servant. A loyal and quiet achiever. But because he does not have millions of followers on platforms who will make a noise in case he gets dropped, you drop him. That is something beyond understanding. 

What is the criteria of dropping him and keeping the others who failed? I do not know because nowadays, there is no media interaction with the selection committee chairman,"  Sunil Gavaskar said in an interview with Sports Today.

The lack of media interaction with the selection committee chairman further adds to Gavaskar's confusion about the criteria used for dropping Pujara while retaining underperforming players. Gavaskar voiced his concerns about the decision and the need for transparency in the selection process.