'There are players who can push him out' - Madan Lal criticises Cheteshwar Pujara for poor show in Centurion Test

While Cheteshwar Pujara has been one of India’s seasoned campaigners in the longest format of the game, he has struggled of late. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the batter has been far from consistent. After the 33-year-old was dismissed for a golden duck on day one of the Centurion Test, he inscribed his name into an unwanted record list.

He has now recorded the most number of ducks by an India batter at No. 3. This record was previously held by Dilip Vengsarkar. On Sunday, he inside-edged the first ball of his innings for it to go up in the air, and be safely caught by the fielder. Thereafter, former Indian cricketer, Madan Lal went to speak about his struggles.

While speaking to India Today, he felt that there are players in the squad capable of pushing the Saurashtra batter out of the playing XI. The former Indian all-rounder even mentioned the fact that he gets stuck way too much. He then went on to decipher the approach of the struggling batter.

Pujara is struggling: Madan Lal

“Pujara is struggling. There are no two ways about it. There are players in the squad who can push him out of the XI. At No. 3, even the captain needs a player who can hold the innings and get some runs at the same time. At times, Pujara gets stuck way too much. So clearly, he is struggling,” said Madan Lal.

In the meanwhile, the 70-year-old also spoke about Ajinkya Rahane, who ended the first day, staying unbeaten on 40 in the first innings. He felt that the batter should go on to convert his start into a big score and appreciated his batting technique as well. However, like Pujara, he too has been going through a lean patch in the recent past.

“Ajinkya Rahane should get runs because the Indian team needs a batter like him in the middle order. He is technically sound. And when he scores runs, he will have that confidence. Going forward, if some player goes out of form, you need a player who gives you that solidity in the middle order,” Lal added.