(Cricket News) The struggling veterans of the South African tour, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, both 35, had been going through a run of poor form and the Indian selectors felt that now was the right time to give a chance to young batsmen who were pounding down their doors. Their combined experience of 188 Test matches and 12,272 runs would have been the only consideration, but the promise of youth overshadowed it.
The decision seemed inevitable because Pujara’s time is running out. He ended a two-year century drought in Bangladesh at the end of 2022, but big scores have eluded him in his subsequent outings; after an undefeated 102 in Chittagong, all he has managed to muster is 211 runs in 10 outings, with just one score above 50. The series against Australia was a rare blemish on home soil, where he usually scores heavily, and he was living on borrowed time when it came to the World Test Championship in Oval.
His meagre numbers in the Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy also may have put paid to his aspirations. There has been no shortage of grit and heart to rediscover his daddy-hundred scoring prowess, but he has been rendered helpless, perhaps by age and diminishing reflexes. He was then dropped from the youth-heavy side to the West Indies. However, it was widely assumed that he would be back in the scheme for South Africa, in India’s pursuit of a maiden series win.
On the other hand, Rahane appeared to be reviving his career after being left out of the Test series against Australia and Bangladesh. He scored a counterpunching 89 in the WTC final after a strong domestic season (634 runs at 57). However, his poor performance (11 in two innings) on the flat-beds in the Caribbean meant that he had also lost the international race.
Rahane replaced Mumbai colleague Shreyas Iyer in the WTC final, and now that he has made a significant comeback, it was inevitable that he replaced Rahane. Consequently, the Oval knock was only a brief glimpse of one of India’s middle-order pillars in the previous ten years.
Another consideration that the selectors and team management would have evaluated was the fact that the new Test cycle is only a few series old. With the five-Test series against Australia (away) and England (home) slated for this year, there would have been no better time to take a break from underwhelming veteran warriors and give the young players the exposure they need to develop into batting mainstays.
See more: BCCI Announces India Squad for South Africa Tour: Players and Lineup Revealed.
