Pujara & Rahane Silence ‘Outside Noise’ after Glorious 50s in Johannesburg

Chatteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been out of form seemingly since the Australian Test Series in late December 2020 and early January 2021. Critics and fans had lost their patience with the two uber-talented test batsmen.

Coaches and professionals across the world have acknowledged Pujara and Rahane as the ultimate test batsmen, citing one of their many performances for the dominant Indian side. Rahane, who was also the test vice-captain and Pujara the guy who can ‘bat for days’ lost their mojo after a slurry of bad performances and just couldn’t get it back.

That was until yesterday. After the departure of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, Rahane and Pujara soaked in the pressure and showed the South African side what they can really do. Pujara kicked things off with a beautiful cover drive for a four as Rahane joined in on the party.

“Looking at the pitch, this pitch has variable bounce and it’s not easy,” Pujara said at the end of day three. “Whenever you get a loose ball you want to make sure that you put it away. You never know when you will get an unplayable ball. So yes, it was part of my gameplan that if I get a loose ball I will try and convert it, but I didn’t do anything extra.”

“I think I’ve been batting well. It was one of those days where everything was going as per my plan. Whenever I was getting a loose ball I was just trying to convert it, but overall really happy with the way things went.”

“I think the partnership with Ajinkya was very crucial because we were at a stage where we wanted some runs on the board, and I feel it’s not just about my score but about the team’s total in the end. So that partnership with Ajinkya was a very crucial one for us today.”

“Well, the team management has been always supportive, so I would say it’s just the outside noise,” he said. “The coaching staff, the captain, everyone is behind all the players, and we have been working hard. There are times when you don’t get too many runs, but the important thing as a cricketer is following the right routine, having good work ethics, and keep working on your game, because there are times when you will not get runs, but if you follow the right processes, you get runs on the board.”

“This is what has happened today, and I’m sure that this form will continue and we will get big scores in the next game as well.”