Kolkata: Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara may have drawn criticism for his slow strike rate during the tour of West Indies but India coach Anil Kumble threw his weight behind the batsman Wednesday and said that he’s a vital cog in the team’s scheme of things and no one has put pressure on him. There were media reports which had stated that Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli had asked the player to improve on his strike rate.
Terming himself old-fashioned, Kumble said the talks about strike rate in Tests should be confined to the bowlers. “…I’m a bit old fashioned. I know there are a lot of strike rate issues in the last eight years after the advent of T20. As far as I am concerned, when I was playing Tests, strike rate was spoken about for bowlers and not batsmen,” Kumble told reporters here Wednesday.
“That’s how I looked at it because in Tests you need players of different skill sets. In my point of view, strike rates are only relevant to bowlers in Test cricket, not the batsmen,” he added.
Kumble also stated that he is disappointed at the reports regarding Pujara. He insisted that the team management had never put any pressure on the batsman regarding his batting.
“I’m extremely surprised and a bit disappointed this talk keeps coming up now and then. As long as someone reads the situation and plays according to it, what’s expected from the team, it’s fine. He’s (Pujara) a very important cog in our plans. He’s been successful,” Kumble asserted.
Gautam Gambhir has been called in as a replacement for the injured KL Rahul, but Kumble stated that nothing has been decided as to whether he will partner Murali Vijay at the top. “All the 15 are available for selection. We still have some time to decide,” Kumble pointed out.
“It’s actually nice to have Gautam back. He’s experienced and has been doing well in the domestic circuit. But as I said before, the XI… we haven’t finalised yet,” added the Indian coach.
Kumble also backed Rohit Sharma, who flopped in the first innings of the opening Test but returned among runs with an unbeaten 68 in the second essay.
“His (Rohit) batting form in the second innings augurs well for the team. That 100-plus partnership with (Ravindra) Jadeja was crucial to take the game away from the New Zealanders,” he informed.
The overcast conditions prevalent here and the fresh wicket may be a challenge for India but Kumble asserted that they have the ammunition to counter any challenge.
Press Trust of India