Pujara and Rahane got out for 3 and 0 in the first innings of the second Test against South Africa.
Both of them are going through a lean patch lately, and their flop show in the first innings at the Wanderers has only put them under more pressure.
With skipper Virat Kohli not playing the second Test due to back spasm, Pujara and Rahane were expected to take additional responsibilities but the duo got out cheaply.
While Pujara scored 3 off 33 balls before getting out, Rahane bagged a golden duck. Both the seasoned batters were dismissed by lanky pacer Duanne Olivier.
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After their failures, veteran India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik said that the ‘long rope’ given to Pujara and Rahane is nearing its end.
“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,” Karthik said in a conversation with Cricbuzz.
He also opined that head coach Rahul Dravid won’t hesitate in taking a tough call if Pujara and Rahane keep on failing.
“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,” Karthik remarked.