India tour of South Africa: Under-fire India middle-order batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara had a rigorous training sessions ahead of the all-important South Africa series which will be nothing less than a litmus test for the two right-handers. Follow India tour of South Africa Live on InsideSport.IN.
India tour of South Africa: Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane sweat out in the nets ahead of litmus ‘Test’, Watch Video
Rahane, who was recently removed from the post of Team India vice-captain because of his horror run with the bat, has shared a video from his practice session in which he can be seen middling the ball with ease.
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Notably, the 33-year-old had missed out on the second Test against New Zealand due to a “minor left hamstring strain”. In the build up to the match which India won by a comprehensive 372-run margin to win the series 1-0, Rahane’s place in the eleven was in question due to his poor outing in the Kanpur Test. He scored 35 and 4 in his two outings.
India tour of South Africa: Notably, in 2019, the Mumbai batsman scored 642 runs in 8 matches at an average of 71.33. In the following year, that dropped to 38.85 in 4 matches. Come 2021, the 33-year-old has scored 411 runs in 12 matches at a measly average of 19.57. If we dig in the stats further, the right-hander has only four centuries to his name in the last 5 years. Only two scores of 20 plus have come in his last 10 innings.
The management and the selectors have once again showed trust in Rahane, who has played 79 Tests for India so far, and he would surely be aching to prove his worth on the South Africa tour.
Cheteshwar Pujara has also posted an Instagram Reel with a caption which read, “Trust the process!” The video shows him warming up with basic drills including a brisk sprint in the ground.
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Pujara, who has featured in 92 Test in India till date, scored a couple of fifties during England tour. The No. 3 batsman scored 47 while opening in the second innings of the Mumbai Test against New Zealand, however, a three-figure mark has deluded him since January 2019. His technique and intent has also been under question due to his inability to convert after getting starts.
India tour of South Africa: The emergence of player like Shreyas Iyer, who scored a hundred on his Test debut, and Suryakumar Yadav, also a Mumbai batsman waiting desperately for his turn in red-ball cricket, has added extra pressure on the duo. There have been talks around trying youngsters like Shubman Gill in the middle-order as well.
Both the senior players have done well in foreign conditions in the past and would look to leave no stone unturned in their preparation for what could be a career-deciding series for them.
India tour of South Africa: Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane sweat out in the nets ahead of litmus ‘Test’, Watch Video
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