Dinesh Karthik believes that one of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane will have to make way if regular skipper injured Virat Kohli returns for the final Test against South Africa. The wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik remarked on Monday that Team India’s “long rope” given to the two senior middle-order batters has burnt slowly and is now nearing its end.
The under-fire duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane failed once again, scoring 3 (33) and 0 (1) respectively on Day 1 of the second Test in Johannesburg. While Ajinkya Rahane has been under immense pressure since getting stripped of his vice-captaincy, Cheteshwar Pujara completed three years without a hundred on Monday, thus getting under the scanner more than ever.
Dinesh Karthik: Long Rope Given To Cheteshwar Pujara And Ajinkya Rahane Slowly Burning Out And coming To An End
Ajinkya Rahane has scored just 1 hundred since October 2019 and his career average fell below 40 after the repeated failures, while Cheteshwar Pujara hasn’t hit a century since January 2019.
Dinesh Karthik said: “At No. 3 in inarguably the world’s best cricket team, to find a spot there for three years and not score a hundred – he (Pujara) will know he’s got a long, long rope. To a large extent they are playing because of the potential they have, and the performances they have shown, and obviously, they are senior statesmen [in the team] as well.”
“But the long rope they have been given is slowly burning out and you are coming to the end of it. I am very, very sure that they are both aware of it. Also, we have got to see the potential of the players at the back, they have done as well. Now if Virat Kohli returns, you get a feeling that one of the two has to give way,” said Dinesh Karthik.
Dinesh Karthik feels that despite being just three-Test-old in his role, head coach Rahul Dravid won’t hesitate in making the “harsh decisions” on Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. He said Rahul Dravid must have tried to contribute to their careers initially but will now have to accept that “it isn’t meant to be”.
Dinesh Karthik added: “When Rahul Dravid was at the fag end of his career, it was actually Pujara who came in and did well at that No. 3 spot, put pressure on him to eventually take his spot… Obviously, that circle comes around… I do think Rahul Dravid will have to make a couple of harsh decisions and if that means dropping one or both of them, he’ll be open to it because he knows that they have been given a long rope before…”
“You don’t want to set the ground ablaze by making the big decisions right at the outset so I think he’s waiting and trying to assess what he can contribute to their careers and if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be,” said Dinesh Karthik.
To be fair, only two Indian batters namely KL Rahul (50) and Ravichandran Ashwin (46) crossed 30 on Monday in the team’s total first innings score of 202 in tough batting conditions at the Wanderers. But the fact that Cheteshwar Pujara failed to build on his 33-ball start and Ajinkya Rahane again got out playing a needless stroke called upon specific criticism.
Shaun Pollock: Decision To Axe Cheteshwar Pujara And Ajinkya Rahane Should Be Before Test Series Against Relatively Easier West Indies And Bangladesh
Speaking in the same video, former Proteas pacer Shaun Pollock said India could make the “decision” on the under-fire duo Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane before their next Test series against West Indies and Bangladesh, to give time for youngsters to settle in.
He argued: “That’s sometimes the time, in many ways, to make a decision. Not before a big, tough series but it can be just a period where you make a call and say, ‘You guys come in and we give you not as highly ranked opponents as Australia or England’ to just settle themselves so they are ready to go for a big series. It could be interesting times.”
Both players have been woefully out of form with the bat in Tests over the last two years, with Cheteshwar Pujara averaging 20.38 and 28.08, while Ajinkya Rahane has managed 38.85 and 20.83 in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Ajinkya Rahane has managed just 479 runs in 2021 at a paltry average of 20.83 while Cheteshwar Pujara has scored 702 runs at an average of 28.08.
South Africa was 35 for one at stumps on Day 1 in response to India’s 202 all-out. South Africa is currently 100/2 with Dean Elgar losing his wicket to Shardul Thakur. Mohammed Shami had picked a wicket earlier on Day 1. Keegan Petersen is unbeaten on 61 off 110 balls.