Game Over? Sunil Gavaskar makes a big statement on Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane’s careers

For the Test series against Sri Lanka, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been left out of the Indian Test squad. It was not surprising that these two veterans were sacked because they had not been performing well in recent months. Both have returned to play with their domestic teams in the Ranji Trophy.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has also said that the two being dropped was expected. He pointed out that they can make a comeback, but it will be very difficult for them to do so.

Speaking to Sports Tak, the former skipper said, “It was expected. 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.

Gavaskar said that Pujara and Rahane will be in their mid-30s when India plays their next Test series, adding that this is will be a problem for the two as many younger players will be ready to grab the position, making it difficult for them to make a comeback to the team. “They can return, why not? If they display very good form, score 200-250 in every Ranji Trophy match, then a return is definitely possible. But after this Test series, there is just a one-off Test in England and then after that, there is the T20 World Cup, so we will be in November and December (for the subsequent Test).”