‘His numbers are not flattering at all’ – Aakash Chopra raises question marks on Cheteshwar Pujara’s Test record on English soil

Aakash Chopra and Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has spoken about Cheteshwar Pujara’s record in England as the Rohit Sharma-led side is heading into the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. The second edition of the WTC final between India and Pat Cummins-led Australia will begin on Wednesday, June 7, at The Oval in London.

India will compete in the WTC final for the second successive time. The first edition of the WTC final, held in 2019-21, saw the clash between India and New Zealand in the final, which the Kane Williamson-led side won.

While previewing the match, Chopra reckoned that Pujara was magnificent in the County Championship, and that’s how he made a comeback to the Indian squad. He also said that the 35-year-old batter has played only one match fewer than Virat Kohli but doesn’t have a great Test record in England.  

“Pujara has scored a lot of runs in county cricket. In fact, because of that, only he made a comeback into the Indian team, but the truth is that he has probably played only one match fewer than Kohli but his numbers are not flattering at all,” Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel. 

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter went on to say that Ajinkya Rahane’s Test average in England is similar to Pujara’s. He added that both have played a lot of matches and have struck centuries, but their Test average is below 30, which is not so good. 

“His (Pujara’s) average is less than 30. It is either 26 or 29. His and Rahane’s averages are almost equal. One has 26 and the other has 29. They have played a lot of matches, have struck a century apiece as well but the average on England grounds over a period of time is below 30, which is not great,” he added.

Kohli’s Test average has been below-par in England: Chopra

Chopra further said that even Kohli‘s batting average has been below-par in England. The 45-year-old said that he has scored 1000 plus runs, the only Indian to score a thousand runs in the current setup, but his average is 33. Notably, the former India skipper has amassed 1033 runs at an average of 33.32 in 16 Tests on English soil.

“If you are thinking how Kohli’s performances have been, his average is also only 33. He has scored over 1000 runs, the only Indian to score a thousand runs in this current team setup but the average is 33 because the 2014 series was very bad and the last one was middling,” the former cricketer concluded.