Former India player Irfan Pathan feels surprised by India's recent dominance in Test cricket despite the poor form of middle-order batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. The duo has been struggling for form in recent times and was once again the Achilles heel for the Indian side in the first innings of the Johannesburg Test. While Rahane went without troubling the scorers for a first-ball duck, Pujara managed a mere three runs. Pathan was also worried for captain Virat Kohli as the Test skipper has gone more than two years without a ton.
“These two, we are talking about senior players here, they have played more than 60 Test matches and when you have played that amount of Test cricket for India, you need to average more than 40. And if you look at their averages in the last 3 years, it has been under 30 and that is highly disappointing,” the former left-arm pacer said on Star Sports.
“Ajinkya Rahane showed a lot of intent with the way he played in the first innings. His footwork was decisive and he looked positive. But here (in Johannesburg), both of them were disappointing,” he added.
“Surprising that India is still doing well despite Virat Kohli not scoring runs, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the same boat.
“They need to start performing consistently because guys are waiting in the wings,” Pathan concluded.
The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari are knocking on the doors for a place in the playing XI. The latter was drafted into the team after Kohli pulled out of the second Test due to injury. Iyer, on the other hand, impressed in the recent home series against New Zealand, scoring a hundred in debut innings.
If Rahane and Pujara fail to impress in the second innings of the Johannesburg Test, it could spell the end of their Test career. With Kohli, Iyer and Vihari in pole position, the struggling pair may have to sit out for the third Test. India currently leads the three-match Test series 1-0, winning the first Test match in Centurion.
