Overview
- Pujara outlined a plan to identify 25–30 domestic players as red‑ball specialists, pick them on Ranji form, and develop them over a couple of years for Tests.
- He said players without IPL deals should train at the National Cricket Academy during the IPL so they keep building long‑format skills.
- He accepted that some will choose only white‑ball careers but urged youngsters to try all formats, noting IPL standouts like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Kagiso Rabada honed Test basics.
- Using 15‑year‑old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as an example, he said the Rajasthan Royals batter should aim for Tests and is likely to receive a T20I call‑up after scoring 404 runs in 10 innings this season.
- He added that the board may already be working on red‑ball pathways, though no formal policy has been announced, a discussion sharpened by media reports of Test series whitewashes in 2024 and 2025.