India vs England: Cheteshwar Pujara or KL Rahul at Lord’s? Virender Sehwag has this to say

The fact that the Indian cricket team had a less than impressive showing with the bat at Edgbaston has led to some clamour among experts and fans alike to bring Cheteshwar Pujara back into the playing XI.

With the exception of Virat Kohli, none of the batsmen left Edgbaston with a credible showing and the team’s lack of solidity in the middle order remains a cause for concern going into the second Test at Lord’s.

However, Virender Sehwag believes that India should not drop KL Rahul - who batted at number 3 in the first Test - as doing so would likely dent his confidence.

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“If KL Rahul played the first Test then I think he should play the second match too. He should get enough chances. Because if you drop a player after just one match, it will definitely hurt his confidence,” Sehwag said to India TV.

“I think a player should get at least one full series and then if he fails to perform, you can drop that particular player from the team and give chance to others,” he added.

Sehwag, however, was quick to add that Pujara should be recalled to the side in place of Rahul should the Karnataka batsman fail to deliver the goods at Lord’s.

“Yes, earlier I did think that Pujara should play at Lord’s but now I feel that KL Rahul should get the chance since he played the first Test.”

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“If he fails to perform in both the innings at Lord’s then I think it would be good to bring Pujara in for the third Test,” he added.

The Lord’s Test is set to begin on August 9.

First Published: Aug 08, 2018 13:14 IST