Cheteshwar Pujara ready to bat at any position

The Board President’s XI squad has two Test team members in Cheteshwar Pujara and K.L. Rahul and the talented duo may well end up in a fight for the same spot in the XI for the first Test against South Africa. Pujara and Rahul, who did not figure in the shortest formats of the game against the visitors, will also get an early taste of the SA pace battery ahead of the four-Test series commencing at Mohali on November 5.

Pujara was out of the one-off Test against Bangladesh and wasn’t included in the XI in the first two Tests against Sri Lanka before replacing the injured Murali Vijay in the third Test as opener and set up memorable win with defiant 145.

However, he has managed just 64 runs in the five innings he has batted for Saurashtra on rank turners in Rajkot in the Ranji Trophy. “The kind of wickets we have played on, it’s difficult for batters and fast bowlers.“If I have not got big runs, I won’t say I am out of form. I am very confident ahead of the Test series.”