"Time for him to make a statement"- Fans react as Cheteshwar Pujara comes out to open the innings for India in fifth Test vs England

Cheteshwar Pujara is playing as an opener in his comeback Test.
Cheteshwar Pujara is playing as an opener in his comeback Test.

Middle-order veteran Cheteshwar Pujara has taken up the opening slot in the batting order in the rescheduled fifth Test between India and England. The two teams are playing the final Test of the five-match series in Edgbaston, Birmingham. India currently hold a 2-1 lead in the series.

Due to the absence of regular opener KL Rahul (groin injury) and Indian captain Rohit Sharma (COVID positive), Pujara has been thrust into the opening role alongside Shubman Gill

The experienced batter usually fills the No. 3 slot in the Indian batting order. Pujara will be confident at the crease, having had a successful stint with Sussex in the 2022 County Championship.

He scored 720 runs in five matches and his run-scoring spree with the county side helped him make a comeback into the Indian side. He has been a dependable batter for India over the years.

Netizens react to Cheteshwar Pujara's comeback

Here's how netizens reacted to the news of Pujara opening the innings against England:

The last fan (account name: Khemansingla) tweeted:

"Pujara is back. Time for him to make a statement and win this Test match for team India."

Indian fans will hope Cheteshwar Pujara can deliver on those expectations.

It is worth mentioning that opening batter Mayank Agarwal was added to India's squad as a backup for Sharma. However, he didn't make it to the playing XI for the contest.

England elect to bowl first against India at Edgbaston

England's Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl first on the surface. It is a must-win game for the hosts as India currently lead the series by 2-1.

India have scored 30 runs for the loss of one wicket (Subhman Gill) after eight overs at the time of writing.

Here are the playing XIs for the all-important tie:

India's playing XI: Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah(c)

England's playing XI: Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Sam Billings(w), Matty Potts, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, James Anderson

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