Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane could only manage one half-century against England.
India's Test specialists, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, didn't have a decent outing with the bat against England at home in the four-match series. Both of them couldn't reach three figures and managed only one half-century in six innings.
While Rahane scored 1 & 0, 67 & 10, 7, and 27, Pujara added 73 & 15, 21 & 7, 0, and 17 in four matches against the Joe Root-led side. But off-spinner R Ashwin believes it's unnecessary to point finger at two of the proven players who can change the game on their day.
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“When things are not going right, we always feel a new commodity or a different commodity will do much better. When you are talking about people who have played in excess of 50 Test matches (Rahane) and played in excess of 75 Test matches (Pujara) and have been champion performers, we are forgetting things,” Ashwin told the New Indian Express.
Ashwin recalled the performance of Rahane against Australia under pressure at the MCG which brought India back in the series after losing at the Adelaide.
“We just don’t look at the champion performance that Rahane produced on the way to the greatest Test series we played in Australia. He batted beautifully and got a hundred (at MCG),” Ashwin said.
Rahane had scored 112 in the second Test against Australia and India won the match by 8 wickets. He was awarded Player-of-the-Match for his batting performance.
Team India will need Rahane and Pujara to come good with the bat in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, starting June 18 in Southampton.
(Inputs from New Indian Express)