Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra hopes that Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara’s fifties on Day 3 of the second Test against South Africa don’t turn out to be a one-time affair as well. However, Rahane and Pujara scored 58 and 53 runs respectively in the second innings of the ongoing Johannesburg Test. They added a 111-run stand for the third wicket to help the teams set a good target for South Africa.
While praising Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara’s efforts in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said: “Are Pujara and Rahane back for good? Let’s wait and watch. They stitched together a 111-run partnership. Both scored their half-centuries and there is no worry till the next Test match because this 111-run partnership was equivalent to a 225-run partnership on some other pitch.”
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He further added: “They came out attacking. I felt South Africa were a little indisciplined in the first hour. They were getting a little too hungry, balls on the pads and the Indian players were going on hitting. Both these players together scored runs at more than five runs per over and gave India a decent lead.”
Notably, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara’s 111-run partnership came in over 23 overs as well. And, Aakash Chopra expects their knocks will turn around in their careers as well.
He observed: “I have the belief that when you go through such a long career, the ups and downs come some time or the other. They have seen a lot of highs but this was a significant low. The only expectation now is that this is a watershed event.”
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“There was a common thread between the two. Pujara and Rahane were looking for runs. I really hope there is no discussion on their performance after this. The story is different when you score a hundred but if we are again talking about them, that won’t be fine. Hopefully, they are back for good,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
