Rahane and Pujara, who have endured a prolonged lean run with the bat, failed to deliver the goods in the South Africa series as well. Agarwal, who made a bright start to the series, was also found wanting as the series wore on.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakaash Chopra reflected on the reasons behind India’s defeat. He said about the same:
However, the former India opener did acknowledge that Agarwal was always going to have a tough time at the top of the order in South African conditions. Aakaash Chopra elaborated:
Rahane, Agarwal and Pujara aggregated 136, 135 and 124 runs respectively in the three-match series. South Africa matched Rahane’s tally of runs with the number of extras they conceded.
“Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane - the rope is coming to an end” - Aakash Chopra
While observing that it might be the end of the road for both Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, Aakash Chopra doesn’t want Team India to drop the duo together. He said:
The reputed commentator feels Rahane might be the first to get the axe and that Pujara will have to come up with some substantial knocks to retain his place. Chopra explained:
With the likes of Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill waiting in the wings, it might not be surprising if both Rahane and Pujara are dropped for Team India’s home Test series against Sri Lanka.
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