Stories
Cheteshwar Pujara Picks India XI For First Test Against New Zealand
- •Cheteshwar Pujara announced his preferred India playing XI for the upcoming first Test against New Zealand starting next month at Basin Reserve in Wellington.
- •Pujara's selection left out notable players including Washington Sundar, Sai Sudharsan, and Akash Deep.
- •Devdutt Padikkal secured the number three batting position in the lineup following his impressive centuries against Sri Lanka.
- •The team features a strong bowling attack comprising Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
Key Questions Answered
In a video posted by Cricinfo, Cheteshwar Pujara selected Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers, with Devdutt Padikkal at No. 3 and captain Shubman Gill at No. 4. His lineup also features Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeepers, followed by Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
Despite being India's best bowler in the previous series against New Zealand and playing the Ranji Trophy in preparation, Washington Sundar was left out of Cheteshwar Pujara's playing XI. Pujara instead chose Ravindra Jadeja for the No. 7 all-rounder position.
Devdutt Padikkal batted at No. 3 for India in both Tests against Sri Lanka in August 2026. He secured this opportunity and scored a century in each match because Sai Sudharsan was absent due to injury.
