‘Time Will Not Be on Their Side’: Gavaskar Explains Why It’s Difficult For Pujara and Rahane to Make India Comeback

India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons that while it’s not impossible for Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to return to the Test side, it certainly is very difficult even if they end up making tons of runs in first-class cricket. Both Rahane and Pujara have played impressive knocks on return to Ranji Trophy with the former hitting a century while the latter missing his own hundred by just nine runs.

The duo was dropped after a series of low scores at international level with BCCI chief of selectors Chetan Sharma later revealing they have been asked to play Ranji Trophy. Neither Pujara nor Rahane will feature in India’s upcoming two-match homes series against Sri Lanka that begins in the first week of March.

Gavaskar said the prospect of the Test veterans being dropped was expected and only a big innings during the South Africa tour would have helped them avoid the fate.

“It was expected,” Gavaskar told India Today. “If in the three Tests in South Africa, one of them had hit a century or played an innings of 80-90 runs, then it would have been a different matter. Yes, Ajinkya Rahane played an attractive knock. But apart from that, there weren’t enough runs from them when it was expected and when the team needed the runs.”