Have to include Cheteshwar Pujara and Kuldeep Yadav for next Test, insists Harbhajan Singh

India took a risk of excluding Pujara in the first Test and instead, accommodated three openers in the playing XI at Edgbaston. The visitors eventually lost by 31 runs due to a forgettable batting display and none of the openers managed to deliver except the 50-run partnership in the first innings. Harbhajan stated that Cheteshwar Pujara and Kuldeep Yadav must be included in the playing XI for the next game considering their previous performances and skill level. He felt that Pujara could take the polish off the new ball and tackle swing bowling much better.

“I don’t care who should be dropped, but India must include Pujara and Kuldeep in the Lord’s Test playing XI. Pujara can take the polish off the new ball and play quality swing bowling much better,” he said.

Pujara, who has been out of form, just managed to score 172 runs in six games at an average of 14.33 during his County stint with Yorkshire this season and also failed to score in the three-day warm-up game against Essex. However, he revealed that India’s head coach Ravi Shastri backed him and had no problems with his scoring rate.