Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara aren't part of the Test squad for Sri Lanka series.
Indian batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were dropped from India's squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka on Saturday (February 19). The veteran batters were struggling with their batting form, and eventually, time ran out for them.
Team India chief selector Chetan Sharma said that they had been asked to play in the Ranji Trophy. Apart from Rahane and Pujara, wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha and veteran pacer Ishant Sharma were also omitted from the Indian squad.
India cricket great Sunil Gavaskar also spoke on the decision of selectors to axe Pujara and Rahane from the Team India squad. The former captain said he saw it coming after the series against South Africa as the duo failed to get runs consistently.
Speaking to Sports Tak, Gavaskar said, "It was expected. If in the three Tests in South Africa, one of them had hit a century or played an innings of 80-90 runs, then it would have been a different matter. Yes, Ajinkya Rahane played an attractive knock. But apart from that, there weren’t enough runs from them when it was expected and when the team needed the runs."
However, the cricketer-turned-commentator feels they can still make a comeback with a good outing in the Ranji Trophy tournament. Both the players are currently playing in the domestic tournament.
"They can come back. Why not? If they show good form in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 200-250 in every Ranji Trophy match, then they can definitely come back. But right now, after this series, India just have a one-off Test with England and then we play Tests only towards the end of the year. So I feel time won’t be on their side.
"They’ll both be in their mid 30s. And in your mid 30s if you have opened the door for some younger players, and those players grasp their opportunities, then it will be difficult to make a comeback," he further added.
(With Sports Tak Inputs)