But former India coach and player Sunil Joshi sparked controversy by choosing his XI consisting of Suryakumar Yadav instead of Pujara for the first Test.
Joshi, however, deliberated between the two but added that Suryakumar should be given the nod, at No. 3, ahead of Pujara in the first test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“Will India line up like this in the first test? Deliberation between Pujara and Surya, a tough draw between the two southpaws Kuldeep and Axar. Here is my XI: R Sharma, Shubhman Gill, Surya (should have first glance), V Kohli, KL Rahul, KS Bharat, R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Kuldeep Y, M Shami, M Siraj,” he tweeted.
Will India line up like this in the first test? Deliberation between Pujara and Surya, a difficult draw between the two left… https://t.co/Nex0PkQDLH
—Sunil Joshi | 🇮🇳 ಸುನಿಲ್ ಜೋಶಿ (@SunilJoshi_Spin) 1675729680000
Joshi’s tweet drew criticism from all quarters, including former cricketer Dodda Ganesh who questioned his “audacity” to replace Pujara in Test cricket with someone who has yet to debut .
“One of the ex-managers wants Surya to be chosen ahead of Pujara for the tests. Let that sink in. I mean, the audacity to even think that one can replace Pujara with someone who hasn’t yet played test, is beyond me. No wonder. poor Pujara has been a scapegoat all his life #BGT2023,” Ganesh tweeted.
One of the ex-managers wants Surya to be chosen ahead of Pujara for the tests. Let it sink in. I mean, the audacity… https://t.co/Ku4gotibKa
— Dodda Ganesha | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) 1675757947000
@SunilJoshi_Spin Thank goodness you’re not a spinner anymore
—Sumanth GK (@sumanthgowda186) 1675759757000
@SunilJoshi_Spin Pujara vs Surya is not a debate. I don’t want to be disrespectful. But you should try to improve… https://t.co/xrhTvc8pdL
— Atishay Jain (@Atishayjain1x) 1675750459000
@SunilJoshi_Spin I have absolutely no idea how questionable Pujara’s place in the team is, especially on SKY. Entert… https://t.co/oCVs4hVCvS
– Le Cid (@sidiyer2650) 1675767424000
@SunilJoshi_Spin Pujara should be one of the first names on the team sheet, sir. Surya should wait, ideally should be Sarfaraj Khan.
— Kapil Gulechha (@kgulechha) 1675730205000
