Pujara, Rashid examples of county’s diminishing value
Cheteshwar Pujara’s worst nightmare came true on Wednesday when he was kept out of something he had invested a lot in.
Despite being the only Indian regularly playing county cricket over last four years, Pujara lost his place to an in-form KL Rahul for the Edgbaston Test against England.
The Indian management’s call to play Rahul ahead of Test specialist Pujara indicates strong rationale, one that also highlights the predicament of English domestic cricket.
Since India’s last England tour in 2014, Pujara has represented counties like Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, becoming the most experienced among the current Indian Test cricketers in England.
However, lack of form and stiff competition leaves Pujara warming the bench at Edgbaston, robbing him off the opportunity to better his record outside the Asian subcontinent, which Cheteshwar Pujara
Year County Matches Runs Average 50s 100s 2014 Derbyshire 3 219 54.75 1 1
2015 Yorkshire 4 264 52.80 1 1
2018 Nottinghamshire 8 333 27.75 1 1
2018 Yorkshire 6 172 14.33 - -
has haunted him so far in his career.
Pujara averages in excess of 50 in Test cricket and more than 62 at home but that slips to 35.25 outside India. Adil Rashid
His poor showing in South Africa — 100 runs in three Tests — followed by an equally disappointing run in county for Yorkshire — 172 runs in six matches at 14.33 — led to his downfall. Jos Buttler Matches Runs Average Highest
50s Matches Wickets Average Economy Strike rate BBI
5WI
FORM OVER COUNTY
If Pujara’s exclusion came as a surprise, England have already steered through times when Jos Buttler was surprisingly picked for Tests on the back of a successful IPL.
Adil Rashid, in all fairness, earned his call-up after that delivery which bamboozled Virat Kohli at the Headingley ODI.
The Indian team has grappled with a problem of plenty for far too long. And Rahul’s display since arriving in the UK — two fifties and one century — towered over Pujara’s records. Pujara’s last big score — 75 not out for Yorkshire against Leicestershire — came on the day the IPL final was played.
Buttler turned several matches in favour of Rajasthan Royals (RR) single-handedly, prompting England national selector Ed Smith to prefer form over credentials.
Having made an impact in both Tests against Pakistan, Buttler entered the five-Test series against India as England’s vicecaptain.
Rashid’s call-up to the Test side six months after he had signed only a white-ball contract with Yorkshire was also to fortify England’s bowling stocks.
With Moeen Ali’s indifferent performances and England desperately needing backup for frontline bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Rashid looked a good option after his ODI exploits.
MUMBAI:
COUNTY ON THE BACKBURNER?
Concern over the health of county cricket was at its peak when England succumbed to a 4-0 Ashes defeat last season. ‘Prepare green top wickets and let medium-pacers run amok and not let fast bowlers emerge’ was the general tone.
But little has improved for the oldest domestic cricket competition over the past few months.
ECB’s ambitious project ‘The Hundred’ — a proposed 100-ball professional scheduled to start in 2020 — exposes their desperation to champion white-ball cricket, essentially puts county cricket on the backburner.
Not surprisingly, the well-being of county circuit comes to mind only when England fail in Test cricket. The Test series against India may just expose their dual stand further.