BGT 2024-25: If India have to win series, Jaiswal will have to play an important role, says Pujara

New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) Ahead of the first Test against Australia in Perth, experienced India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has termed left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal as the most important cog in the visitor's side to claim their third consecutive Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. Pujara, who has played 103 Tests for India, draws Jaiswal's comparison with retired David Warner and emphasised that his form in the series will be crucial for India.

“Yashasvi is probably one of the most talented cricketers India has produced. And I am very confident that even going forward, I know that he has a lot to prove, especially playing overseas. But he will play a key role in this particular series. If we have to win the series, his role is the most important one. He is an aggressive player. He can play a role like what David Warner used to do for the Australian team," Cheteshwar Pujara said during the Star Sports Press Room on Jaiswal's role in the Indian team.

"For us, I think his batting will be crucial. Even in India, when we were losing the series and he made runs, we were in a strong position. Being an opening player, he holds the key for the Indian batting lineup. I am sure that he will be successful. Obviously, there will be challenges throughout this series, but he is mentally tough," he said.

"He prepares really, really well. He hits a number of balls and loves batting. I really feel that he has a long way to go for the Indian team across formats - not just in the Test format but across all formats. I think he will be very successful over time," Pujara added.

Jaiswal has played 14 Tests for India so far and accumulated 1407 runs, including three centuries and eight fifties. He has become India's first-choice opener in red-ball cricket alongside captain Rohit Sharma.

However, Rohit is set to miss the series opener due to the birth of his second child and in his absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side in Perth.

Pujara lauded Bumrah's understanding of the match situation and backed him for the role in the absence of the regular captain.

“He's a quality player. Bumrah is someone who is very smart. As a bowler, you need to know your strengths and strategies really, really well. Whenever he's running in, he's always looking to pick wickets. When you want to pick wickets as a bowler, you need to think about the game," he said.

"You need to think about how you can get a batter out, what the options are, and what plans you need to set to get the batter out. That is something that will help him as a captain. When you take the entire team as a captain, you need to know what strategy to take against each batter," Pujara said.

"On the field, you need to know how many overs to bowl or when to rotate your bowlers. Bumrah understands that. He's also very supportive of all the players. He understands what is required of a particular player and won't put too much pressure on anyone. If someone isn't performing well, he'll always be there to support them. The one thing I would say is that when he’s captaining, he has to think for himself. There will be many inputs, but as captain, the final decision should always be his call," he added.

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