India’s stand-in Test captain Jasprit Bumrah sprang a surprise ahead of the Edgbaston Test on Friday by announcing that Cheteshwar Pujara, the designated number three, will open the innings along with Shubman Gill after England won the toss and elected to field.
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Incidentally, the first time Pujara opened for India in Tests was in 2012 against the same opponent at Ahmedabad when he paired with Virender Sehwag for a 57-run stand to put India on course for a comprehensive nine-wicket win. Pujara scored an unbeaten 41 in the chase after his double hundred in the first innings in his usual number three spot.
The Saurashtra batter has opened the batting on seven occasions in Tests for India, scoring 395 runs while averaging a whopping 98.75. His highest score as an opener came in 2015 against Sri Lanka at Colombo, where he scored a fabulous 145 and carried his bat through the first innings to help India to a famous win.