Former World Cup-winner and pace bowler Ashish Nehra has given his backing to the struggling duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane after their poor run continued in ongoing Johannesburg Test. While Rahane was dismissed for a golden duck, Pujara only managed to score three runs as the Indian team was bundled out for just 202 on Day 1 of the second Test. Both Rahane and Pujara could have their days numbered in the national squad if performances don't improve.
“Even Virat Kohli has similar numbers but people are not questioning his place in the team. Obviously, he is the captain and what Kohli has done is on a completely different level from the two batters we are talking about. It is not fair to compare, but Rahane and Pujara have also been second to none at their peak, especially the latter,” Nehra told Cricbuzz.
“If you have backed a player like Rahane for the 1st Test, it would be better to carry on with him for the rest of the series. Obviously, Rahane was the one who was out (officially due to injury) when Kohli came back for the second Test against New Zealand, though he led the team in the first,” the former left-arm pacer said on the struggling duo.
“Agreed, both Pujara and Rahane have been in big trouble of late. But changing players in the middle of an important series is a big decision,” the 42-year-old added.
Rahane has endured a tough time with the national squad having scored only one hundred in his last 34 Test innings. The numbers get even worse as his average during that period reads 26.90 with just four fifties since his hundred in the 2020 Boxing Day Test against Australia.
It isn't a different story for Pujara as the Saurashtra-born player has gone 45 Test innings without a ton. Pujara and Rahane's form is a huge concern for team management as the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari are waiting in the wings to step up. Vihari got an opportunity after captain Virat Kohli was ruled out of the second Test with upper back spasm. Pujara and Rahane will have another chance in the second innings, but a failure in that innings could spell the end of the road with the national team for both.
