Ranji Trophy: Pujara & Rahane miss centuries narrowly, while Kohli fail to score double digits

Out of India Test team, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara narrowly missed centuries in the Ranji Trophy, while regular Virat Kohli’s comeback ended in disappointment.

The biggest headline of the day is Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji Trophy, which lasted only 15 deliveries on day two of the Ranji match against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Virat Kohli got out after scoring 6 runs in just 15 balls, losing his wicket to Himanshu Sangwan. Talking about two other international players, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who were shown the exit door from the Indian team, both managed to score well on the same day. Playing for Mumbai, Ajinkya scored 96 runs, while Cheteshwar Pujara narrowly missed a century by one run, scoring 99 runs against Assam.

Not just Virat Kohli, but earlier, another Indian star, Rohit Sharma also failed to deliver after returning to the Ranji Trophy, managing to score only 3 runs while playing for Mumbai.

Rahane and Pujara deliver despite age concerns

Many speculate that Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara left the national team because they were considered too old for Indian cricket. However, these players performed remarkably well in the Ranji Trophy. Today, against Meghalaya, Ajinkya Rahane scored 96 runs in 177 balls, hitting 11 fours and one six. Meanwhile, against Assam, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 99 runs in 167 balls with the help of 10 fours.

Notably, these two players, despite scoring regularly in domestic cricket, have been absent from the Indian team for more than a year. The last match Ajinkya Rahane played for India was in 2023 against West Indies. Meanwhile, the last match Cheteshwar Pujara played was against Australia in the World Test Championship 2023. They were absent from all the Test series India played in 2024.

Virat and Rohit remain in Red Ball Cricket

Despite their struggling form, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have remained in India’s Test cricket team. In 2024, Virat Kohli had an average of 24.52, while Rohit Sharma averaged 24.76, which is concerning.

Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, veterans of the game, were once regular Test players for India, but after being dropped, they have worked hard in domestic cricket to make a comeback. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s performances have shown that domestic cricket is not as easy as it seems, as they also struggled. Will this comparison give Rahane and Pujara a chance to make a comeback in Test cricket in the future? Only time will tell.