India vs New Zealand: Cheteshwar Pujara records unwanted feat in 1st Test, Ajinkya Rahane's rough patch extends

India’s senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara failed to make an impression again as he has now gone 39 innings in Tests without a century to his name. His last century, a big one, came against Australia at Sydney in 2019 when he had scored 193 in the first innings of the Sydney Test. After getting out on 22 in the first innings of the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, Pujara equaled Ajit Wadekar’s dismal record of 39 innings without a ton at no.3.

After getting starts in both innings of the first Test, Pujara couldn’t quite convert it into an even half-century mark. In fact, he failed to cross 50 runs mark in both innings in total as he managed only 26 and 22 in the first and second innings respectively. This is the second time Pujara has failed to get to that three-figure mark for so long breaking his own record of 37 innings without a century in between 2013 and 2016 at number three. Batting at a crucial no.3 spot, a senior experienced batter like Pujara has not been able to perform at his standards off late.

Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara enduring rough patch in 2021

Another senior pro, India’s middle-order rock for so many years now, Ajinkya Rahane is suffering miserably this year. An average of a mere 19.57 in 2021 is Rahane’s worst average in a calendar year since making his Test debut back in 2013. Notably, Ajinkya Rahane is third on the list for having the worst average by a batter who has played a minimum of 20 innings at no. one-seven positions in Tests in a calendar year.

Lowest average in Tests in a calendar year: (position 1-7) (Min 20 inns)

Rahane has managed to score just two fifties in 29 innings since the year 2020. Since having a productive home series against South Africa and Bangladesh in 2019, Rahane’s form has seen a dip as he has reached three figure mark only once. Question marks were raised regarding Rahane’s place in the team but with Virat Kohli resting in the first Test, selectors opted for Rahane as stand-in skipper. With Virat Kohli returning for the second Test in Mumbai and Shreyas Iyer already hitting a century on his debut, it would be interesting to see whether Rahane and Pujara will hold on to their places.