“He is just one innings away from getting the rhythm back” – Cheteshwar Pujara backs Ajinkya Rahane ahead of NZ series


“He is just one innings away from getting the rhythm back” – Cheteshwar Pujara backs Ajinkya Rahane ahead of NZ series

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane

The two-match Test series between India and New Zealand is all set to begin from November 25 onwards with the Kanpur Test. India’s regular skipper Virat Kohli won’t be seen in action in the inaugural game as he’s been rested. Meanwhile, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in his absence and Cheteshwar Pujara has been appointed as his deputy.

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Notably, Ajinkya Rahane has not been in the best of his batting forms as his numbers have been continuously declining since the last few years. India’s one of the most dependable batters in the overseas conditions, Rahane has only managed to average just over 19 in the 11 Tests. 

However, Pujara has backed his teammate ahead of the home series against the recent World Test Championship winners. During a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Che Pu said:

“Rahane is a great player. There are times when a player goes through these periods. He is just one innings away from getting the rhythm back. He will get good runs in the series.”

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Pujara sheds light on his batting performance 

Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara has also been surrounded with several questions over his dipping batting performance and the approach to scoring runs. But the right-hander has always bounced back from the bottom.

“I have been contributing with 50-60 runs. As long as I play well, I am not worried. It will come. It is just a matter of a good innings and with the Indian conditions, it will come soon,” said Pujara at the virtual presser.

India’s Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (Vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Suryakumar Yadav (Virat Kohli will join the squad for the second Test and will lead the team).

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