Cheteshwar Pujara slams 62nd first-class hundred but ignored for final three Test matches vs England

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Cheteshwar Pujara on Friday slammed a hundred on Day 1 of Saurashtra's Ranji Trophy 2023-24 match against Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. However, the selectors did not consider him for the India squad for final three Tests versus England despite Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer's absence.

Pujara has been out of the team ever since India's defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June last year. He has been kept out of the team for the Test series and West Indies, South Africa and the first two matches against England since then.

The veteran of 103 Test matches is toiling hard in domestic cricket to earn a recall. The timely hundred was expeted to grab the attention of the selectors, but they went forward with youn guns Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar who reatined their places.

Virat Kohli will not be featuring in the final three Tests as well due to 'personal reasons', the selectors confirmed on Saturday morning. Shreyas Iyer will also miss due to pain in his back and groin.

An ESPNcricinfo reports had suggedted that Iyer had informed the team management that he had experienced back spasms a day or two after the end of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have returned to the squad after missing out on the second Test due to their respective injuries.

Pujara has shone with the bat in the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24. He scored a double hundred against Jharkhand, and scored 91 runs against Services. He also scored a solid fifty in the second innings against Vidarbha. He was dismissed for 110 off 230 balls against Rajasthan in the first innings.

"Look, actually, we did think about it (going back to a senior player). But all these younger players, when are they going to get their opportunity? That's something we thought, I thought as well," Rohit had told reporters ahead of the series when Patidar was brought in for Kohli.

"Leaving out an experienced player or not considering them is very hard. The amount of runs they've scored, the kind of experience they've had, the amount of games they have won for us, you know, it's very hard to ignore all of that," he had added.

The third Test between India and England starts from February 15 in Rajkot.