The Indian team had a disastrous outing on Day 2 of the first test match at Trent Bridge against England. After a decent start by the openers, India’s middle-order collapsed like a house of cards. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane were sent back to the pavilion within a space of fewer than ten runs.
In the same light, former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta has pointed out the failure of India’s middle order in the past couple of years. He stated that the skipper Virat Kohli’s dismissal was very uncharacteristic. The former wicket-keeper further added that Ajinkya Rahane looks very nervous initially in the innings these days.
“Very uncharacteristic of Virat. He Generally leaves a few deliveries while playing overseas, so it could be a lapse of concentration. Ajinkya Rahane looks very nervous and fidgety during the first 25-30 deliveries, which was not the case before.”,” said Deep Dasgupta.
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In 2021, the Indian middle-order batting trio of Kohli, Pujara, and Rahane have been averaging in the 20s in test matches. In six test matches played this year by Virat Kohli, he has scored 229 runs including two fifties. While Pujara has 368 runs and Rahane has scored 268 runs in eight matches.
“The Indian middle-order has really not fired for the last two years or so, with all those runs, experience, class, and performances. They haven’t scored the big runs as consistently as India would have wanted,” said Deep Dasgupta.
Pujara looks like someone who is under some pressure: Deep Dasgupta
Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s modern wall has recently faced a lot of criticism for his inconsistent run at the International level. Deep Dasgupta feels that Pujara is under pressure off late as he hasn’t scored many runs in the last two years. The former India cricketer said,
“He’s looking like a different player. Over 6000 runs, but now he looks like someone who is under some pressure. He has not made any big runs in the last two years, which is an area of concern. It seemed like he was looking for runs straight away which is not usual, the ever-present calmness was absent.”
“When you’re being criticized as a 24-25-year-old, you know you can go back to domestic cricket and make a comeback. But at this age and stage of his career, it might be difficult,” Deep Dasgupta concluded.