Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are lean but still green

India batting coach Vikram Rathour defends senior batsmen Rahane and Pujara’s poor form as Iyer (65), Saha (61*) help team post 234-7 and declare with lead of 283; NZ end Day Four at 4-1

Batting coach Vikram Rathour understands fully that Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are now India players living on borrowed time.

But the former opener on Sunday couldn’t give a definitive answer as to who would sit out in order to accommodate skipper Virat Kohli’s comeback in the next Test against New Zealand.

Cheteshwar Pujara

Debutant Shreyas Iyer showed his ice-cool temperament under pressure to stand tall with a fine half-century which placed India in a commanding position as they set up a stiff victory target of 284 for NZ on Day Four of the first Test here on Sunday.

India declared at 234-7 for al lead of 283 and gave the Black Caps four tricky overs to face under fading light during which they managed four runs and lost opener Will Young to R Ashwin. 

Vikram Rathour

With Shreyas Iyer scoring 105 and 65 on debut, it would be almost criminal to drop the stylish Mumbaikar, and understandably, Rathour had to fend questions on Pujara and Rahane’s form going into the Mumbai Test, starting on December 3. “Of course, you want the top-order to contribute but cricketers [Pujara and Rahane] you mentioned they have played 80 [79 for Rahane] and 90 Tests [91 Test for Pujara]. To play that many games, they must have done well for us,” Rathour tried his best to defend the 2021 Test average of below 20 by the stand-in captain (19.57) and 30.42 by his deputy.”

Past perfect

“We understand that both of them are going through a lean phase but we understand that they have both played important knocks for us in the past. We are pretty sure that they are going to come back and play important knocks for us,” Rathour’s statement lacked conviction.

But what’s the kind of long rope that one gives a senior player, who has been a past performer? Is it 15 or 20 Tests? The former Punjab opener, who played six Tests during the 1996-97 season, felt that it can’t be quantified. “I don’t think you can put a number to that. It depends on situation the team is in and what the team is required to do,” he said. The next question was even more straightforward: whom do you drop when Kohli takes his slot back in the Mumbai game? 

Deal with Mumbai later 

“Captain coming back in, that will happen in next game and we will get to that point when we reach Mumbai. The focus is on this game and there is a day to go and a game to be won. We will get to that point when we get in Mumbai,” the opener of yesteryears dead-batted the query. “Once we land in Mumbai, we will take that call, what our playing XI is going to be,” he repeated.
It is going to be a tightrope walk for the Indian team management when its best batter comes back in the next game.

Brief scores
India 345 & 234-7 decl (S Iyer 65, W Saha 61*; R Ashwin 3-82) v NZ 296 & 4-1 (T Latham 2*, W Young 2; R Ashwin 1-3)

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