India Tour Of South Africa: The seasoned pair of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, once hailed as the linchpin of the Indian middle order following the retirement of legends like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman, have faced a rollercoaster ride in white-ball cricket, resulting in sporadic appearances in the limited-overs format.
The trend persisted in the recent squad selection for India's tour to South Africa, where both players found themselves excluded from the roster for the upcoming two-match Test series against the Proteas. The selection committee opted for young blood, introducing Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal, while many other key players retained their spots.
Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, shared his perspective on the selection panel's decision, stating the importance of providing opportunities to emerging talent.
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According to him, while the seasoned duo has served the team admirably, the time has come for fresh batters to showcase their abilities.
"At some point of time you have to play new talents. It happens, there is enormous talent in India and the team has to progress. Pujara and Rahane had enormous success for India, sport doesn't remain with you forever," PTI quoted Ganguly as saying.
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"You cannot be there forever, it will happen to everyone. I must thank them what they have done for Indian cricket and selectors want fresh faces, so that's the way it is," Ganguly added.
Rahane, having played 85 matches in the longest format, boasts a commendable record with 5077 runs at an average of 38.46. His last appearance in a Test match was in July during the West Indies series.
On the other hand, Cheteshwar Pujara, featuring in 103 Tests, has amassed 7195 runs at an impressive average of 43.60. However, his recent Test outing in June during the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia was below-par, managing scores of 14 and 27 in the two innings.
“Selectors should have a clear idea about him (Pujara). Do they need him to play Test cricket anymore or do they want to continue with youngsters, and communicate to him. Somebody like Pujara can't be dropped, then picked, dropped again and then picked. Same with Ajinkya Rahane also," former India captain had said after India's loss in the WTC final.
As per the recent reports from the news agency PTI, it is likely that the recently omitted Ajinkya Rahane has featured in his final Test match, along with Cheteshwar Pujara.
"The two slots that Rahane and Pujara had now belong to KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Also, Gill will bat in the middle order and Yashashvi will get a long rope," a reliable BCCI source told PTI.
India Squad For SA Test:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd. Shami*, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna