Cheteshwar Pujara believes Ajinkya Rahane is one innings shy of finding his run of form back as India gears up for first Test match versus NZ
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Team India’s seasoned batter in Tests- Cheteshwar Pujara is all set for the first Test match- a part of the Home series versus New Zealand at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur commencing from November 25.
With the regulars in the Test format, including the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and speedster Jasprit Bumrah unavailable for the First Test, Ajinkya Rahane would be leading the side in the two-match series, which is also a part of the the second cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC).
While addressing a virtual press conference in Kanpur, Pujara reposed faith in the batting ability of his skipper for the imminent series and opined that the 33-year-old seasoned batter from Mumbai is just an innings shy from regaining back his lost form.
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Cheteshwar Pujara believes Ajinkya Rahane is one innings shy
Pujara was of the opinion that every player goes through a rough patch during his career and that he (Rahane) has full confidence in his abilities to bounce back and get back to his scoring ways.
He also appreciated the hard yards he has put in over the years and believes that he is just an innings away to regain his form back.
Look at the Test numbers of these Indian batters between November 2016 and October 2018 – before the West Indies series.
Look where Ajinkya Rahane was at that time. pic.twitter.com/fZSvkKOsdM
— Prasenjit Dey (@CricPrasen) November 22, 2021
“He (Rahane) is a great player, there are times when a player goes through a tough time and that’s a part of this game. There can be ups and downs but I feel he is a confident player. He is someone who works hard on his game and I am sure he is just one innings away from gaining back the form,” said Pujara in the virtual press conference.
“Once he gets back to scoring runs, he will be back in form. He has been working hard in the nets. So he is a good touch, hoping that he scores big runs in this series,” he added.
It is worth of a mention that Rahane has averages mere 35 in the last 5 years he has played for Team India in Tests.
He returned with a poor average of 15.57 during India’s recent tour of England in August-September this year. In fact, he has had a dismal record in Tests in all of the recent Away tours and Home games.
During England’s tour of India in 2020/21 he averaged a mere 18.66 across 4 matches, with just a single score of 50+.
Also, during India’s historic series victory against Australia in 2020/21 Down Under, barring a century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) he had a pretty ordinary outing with the bat.
