Cheteshwar Pujara's last 10 Test innings a concern for team India

Cheteshwar Pujara's last 10 Test innings have yielded 108 runs, a statistic which is a concern for any batsman playing cricket at the highest level.

In the first innings of the Lord's Test match, the Indian batsman again got out cheaply, poking at a James Anderson delivery outside off-stump to hand a simple catch to Jonny Bairstow at third slip.

Interestingly, Cheteshwar Pujara has now crossed the 20 run-mark only once in his last 10 innings, further amplifying his form in the game's longest format.

That's a worrying innings from Cheteshwar Pujara. He appeared to have totally lost his off-stump. No need to play at that delivery or a number of previous ones. The pressure grows on India's number three #ENGvIND

— Rob Johnston (@RobJ_Cricket) August 12, 2021

Cheteshwar Pujara's last 10 Test innings

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Cheteshwar Pujara's last 10 Test innings reflect his struggles in Test cricket

Cheteshwar Pujara's last 10 Test innings read: 9, 12*, 4, 15, 8, 17, 0, 7, 21, 15. The 33-year-old has been a pale shadow of himself over the last few Test matches and has struggled to keep going.

He scored his last fifty against England at home in February 2021 and has since not managed to score a half-century in the last five Test matches.

Cheteshwar Pujara's highest Test score in his last 10 Test innings is 21.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/WRZecSGFtH

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) August 12, 2021

Although Pujara's role in the side is that of an anchor, his inability to stay at the crease for long durations has started to become a concern for the Indian team.

Debates have started to arise over the role of the 33-year-old in the Indian side.

An average performance in the WTC Final

Pujara struggled in the WTC final against New Zealand

Cheteshwar Pujara had an average outing in the recent WTC final against New Zealand at Southampton. The Test specialist scored 8 and 15 across both innings and failed to keep the scoreboard ticking. Pujara became one of the targets for India's loss in the showpiece event.

Despite question marks raised following the performance of India's No.3, Team India reposed faith in the batsman for the England series.

What lies ahead for Cheteshwar Pujara?

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Cheteshwar Pujara's last 10 Test innings read: 9, 12*, 4, 15, 8, 17, 0, 7, 21, 15.

A string of low scores in the last four months has meant Cheteshwar Pujara will need to get back to scoring ways quickly in order to hold the No.3 spot. The Saurashtra batsman will need to bring out his A-game in the second innings of the ongoing Test match.

With KL Rahul milking runs at the top of the order and Mayank Agarwal's return from injury imminent, Pujara desperately needs a big score under his belt to prove his naysayers and retain his spot.