Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were part of India's Test team till earlier this year, but were left out of the tour to South Africa, the selectors pinning hopes on youngsters Shubman Gill and Yashawi Jaiswal to produce the goods in challenging conditions.
Sunil Gavaskar believes switching from the T20 mode in the IPL to Test cricket will be the biggest challenge for the Indian players when they take on Australia.
The opening round of Ranji Trophy matches will begin from February 17 following a five-day quarantine and the squad size, including support staff, has been capped at 30.
Middle-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara threw light on the fitness of skipper Virat Kohli, who missed the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg due to back spasms, saying he is getting better.
'If it was up to me, Dubai would always host a one off match like this WTC game. Neutral venue, fabulous stadium, guaranteed weather, excellent training facilities and a travel hub!' KP tweeted.
Cheteshwar Pujara comes across as a batsman made perfectly for Test cricket with his ability to play big knocks consistently and grind out the opposition bowlers for long period of time.
Check out the statistical highlights on Day 1 of the second Test between India and New Zealand.
Mohammad Shami walked off the field after failing to complete his 14th over but top order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara insisted that the injury was not "serious" and the pacer would be back in action on Sunday.
Indian top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara failed to impress on his County debut after managing just seven runs for Derbyshire in the four-day Division Two first-class match against Glamorgan in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Cheteshwar Pujara struck a defiant century in an Adelaide Oval furnace to rescue India after Australia's pacemen threatened to dominate day one of the series-opening Test on Thursday.
A crestfallen India captain Virat Kohli's defence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane lacked conviction, as he put the ball in the selection committee's court regarding the future of the two out-of-form senior batters.
Glimpses from Day 3 of the second Test between India and Australia at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, February 19, 2023.
Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a couple of rungs to 10th but remained the best-placed Indian batsman, while the off-colour Virat Kohli dropped one spot to 15th in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Friday.
A sharp mind with a penchant for trying out new things, senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is relentless in his bowling approach and always tries to keep himself one step ahead of opposition batters, his long-time national team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara said.
Opener Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara batted superbly to make centuries on Day 2 of the 2nd Test in Nagpur on Saturday. Here are the statistical highlights from the day's play.
Cheteshwar Pujara ended his run-drought with an unbeaten 90 as Derbyshire beat Surrey by eight wickets in the Division Two County Championship match at the KIA Oval on Wednesday.
Somerset seamer Jack Brooks apologised to Cheteshwar Pujara for his role in nicknaming the India Test specialist "Steve" during his time at Yorkshire.
An unbeaten 162 by the opener saw the India under-19 side score 283 for 2 on day 1 in the third 'Test' against their England counterparts.
Ponting also said that Pujara's approach put more pressure on other Indian batsmen and the right-handed batsman needs to be wary of this fact
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
The 18-year-old cracked an unbeaten century to help Saurashtra reach 325 for four against Tamil Nadu.
'Happy Birthday to a wonderful selfless cricketer, his contributions cannot be measured only in runs.'
India No 3 batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who ground it out on Day 1, scoring 43 off 160 balls, believes that the match is evenly poised after India ended the day at 233 for 6 but conceded that skipper Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane's dismissals in the final hour of the opening day will provide a 'little bit of advantage' to the hosts.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Karun Nair created records albeit of different kinds.
Star batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has recovered from a minor injury suffered in the nets on Tuesday and has been declared fit for the third Test starting Mohali on Thursday.
India's middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have achieved their career-best rankings in batting and bowling, respectively in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings released in Dubai.
'Rising to the occasion once again and playing a well-balanced knock!'
'...it's been Shubman Gill, who's been moving from the opener's slot, and he himself wanted to bat at No. 3.'
Of all the things that went right in the Test series opener against New Zealand, Cheteshwar Pujara's transformation from an obdurate accumulator of runs to a free-scoring batsman when needed must be the most pleasing for India captain Virat Kohli.
Saurashtra's prolific middle order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara says Indian Premier League (IPL) has its own charm and playing it is a different experience.
A day after India announced their squad for the all-important tour of South Africa, former spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday questioned Yuzvendra Chahal's selection for the tour, and said that they gave him a "lollypop to suck on."
'We won't miss Virat and Rohit. I have faith in our young team.'
Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara slammed his second hundred of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, guiding Saurashtra to a comfortable 242 for four against Rajasthan on the opening day of their Group A match, in Jaipur on Friday.
Rising batsman Cheteshwar Pujara cracked a superb unbeaten century to steer Saurashtra into the Ranji Trophy semi-finals with a five-wicket victory over Karnataka on the fourth and final day of the quarter-final tie in Mumbai on Monday. Chasing a stiff target of 325 set by their rivals, Saurashtra romped home by making 327 for five in the last session of play at the Brabourne Stadium.
Wriddhiman Saha is confident that Bengal's unheralded bunch of bowlers have seen enough of Cheteshwar Pujara on television to plot his dismissal when they take on Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy final, starting in Rajkot on Monday.
Cheteshwar Pujara continues to be the only Indian batsman in the top-10 list as he managed to maintain his seventh spot, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the highest-ranked bowler at number eight, in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Sunday.
Captain Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara made centuries and shared a stand of 226 to put India on course for a big first-innings total against England on the first day of the second Test on Thursday. - Scorecard: Kohli was unbeaten on 151 and Ravichandran Ashwin on one as India reached 317 for four at the close after winning the toss in the first ever Test match in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
Cheteshwar Pujara compiled a patient 87 and along with Hiken Shah (84 batting) put England bowlers to the grind as Mumbai A reached 232 for four on day two of the tourists' warm-up game in Mumbai on Sunday.
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