Former India pacer Ashish Nehra has backed Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to come back in form as the duo have been criticized after another poor show in the first innings of the second Test in Johannesburg. Nehra urged the team management not to make chopping and changing in the middle of the series.
On the first morning of the second test, Duanne Olivier sent both of them on consecutive deliveries as Pujara scored a struggling 33-ball 3 runs while Rahane got out on a first-ball duck against the same bowler.
However, Nehra believes that the positions of Pujara and Rahane can’t be questioned.
“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,” said Nehra in a show with Cricbuzz.
“Changing players in the middle of an important series is a big decision”- Ashish Nehra
Since Jan 2020, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 868 runs in 35 innings with an average of 25.52 while Rahane scored 751 runs in 32 innings with an average of 24.22. In the same period, Kohli scored 652 runs in 25 innings with an average of 26.08.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he added.
On the first day, India bowled out for 202 in the first innings as stand-in skipper KL Rahul top-scored with a score of 50, Ashwin chipped in with a handy contribution of 46. Virat Kohli missed out on this test due to an upper back spasm.