[Eddy]

Relax guys, I don't think Rahane is playing again. That chapter is closed.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Why not, just because he was a great, so was shastri, but no one bit an eyelid creating memes on him and what not, when he actually did wonders for the team. It might be too early to judge, yes, but at same time he was roped in to change this captain being the boss, seems that is not changing if it was indeed captain decision to play the two utterly out or form batsman.

And no matter how senior the two of them are Rahane has been absolute Garbage for a long long time now, the entire world can see it except the captain and also the new coach.

Shastri was a great, okay this is something new to me !! By the way, I didn’t mean that Rahul Dravid being a great should not be judged but it’s too early to judge him anyways.

And you yourself wrote(highlighted bold) why the Captain is the last thing in Indian Cricket !!

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Relax guys, I don't think Rahane is playing again. That chapter is closed.

I will drink to that!

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Shastri was a great, okay this is something new to me !! By the way, I didn’t mean that Rahul Dravid being a great should not be judged but it’s too early to judge him anyways.

And you yourself wrote(highlighted bold) why the Captain is the last thing in Indian Cricket !!

Well shastri might not be rahul dravid great, but he was one of the really good one for sure. Virat is an amazing test captain, but should really get his team selection in place. Coach role is to correct the wrongs of captain and not go along with him, then we might as well remove the coach.

That said I am done with this discussion, wish you a good day, and hopefully we go from strength to strength here and win this match!

[Shreyans_Jain]

I think it is safe to say that Ajinkya Rahane has played his last test innings for a long long time.

[RoadTiger]

I agree harsh words for Dravid are premature. One can't expect the coach to come in - and start making significant changes right away. That would smack of pre-conceived notions. However, one does expect Kohli to stand up for what he believes is the best playing XI for the match.

To that extent, IMHO both Puj and Rahane have benefited from being the 'nice guys' - its almost like Kohli didnt want to incur the wrath of the Gavaskars of the world (no disrespect meant to the legend, but he has always had an extra soft corner for Rahane - the Mumbaikar). To Kohli's credit, he backed the likes of Rahul in England, Siraj in the last many series - I thought his move to play Umesh over the aging warhorse Ishant - was an excellent, aggressive move to play a pacy, wicket taking sort of bowler (remember how he bowled Root in Eng) vs a relatively defensive economical guy.

I am guessing the selectors might spare Kohli the trouble of booting them out - by asking Rahane particularly to go back to Ranji as they select the squad for the next series.

[selfdrive]

The next series is against SL at home. Kohli sitting out the second test means that he will play test number 100 at the Chinnaswamy in Bangalore.

Let's see who gets selected to play against SL in the middle order. I just hope that performance should not be counted much for future overseas tests.

[SoumenD]

Guess we saw the last of Rahane for sometime to come. He is 33, so still can play a few more years provided he proves himself at domestic level now. Something tells me Pujara will still be given a chance in next home-series and he will score some runs for obvious reasons.

Hope atleast Vihari makes it to regular playing 11 now. The guy has done no wrong but is simply unable to find a spot.

About the match, well, all eyes on Pant now who has understandably upped the ante. Doesn't look like getting any support from the tail-enders. Hope he gets a century and we get a sizeable lead. This match is looking like a photo-copy of 2nd test. Hope the result is not the same

[Carmine_pepper]

There is one guy who changed the narrative of ball dominating the bat in this match. The name is Pant. no matter how it goes its been an exciting match so far.

[AtheK]

Great Innings by Pant, the pep talk really worked, wish lower order has held on a little better. Pant has given us a chance, let's see how the bowling unit performs now.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Relax guys, I don't think Rahane is playing again. That chapter is closed.

Where have i heard this before

So many people wanted Pant to be dropped after last match and were up in arms when I stated he is a rare talent and a match winner. Only if our tail has an iota of brain we could have managed 30-40 more runs. Kohli in first innings and now Pant in second innings ran out of partners. But, brilliant 100 which may or may not be match winning as 211 in my opinion is atleast 40-50 short.

I don't blame Dravid. He is relatively new in his role. I blame selectors for keep selecting Pujara and Rahane. No spine at all and worst at their job.

[NPV]

Will South Africa chase the 212 target down ? If they do, it will end up like a repeat of the previous test. After such a great innings by Pant, it would be a shame to lose this test.

[landcruiser123]

Let's hope we can get Dean Elgar early. Only a relentless attack without leaking runs can ensure our victory in this game.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Let's see who gets selected to play against SL in the middle order. I just hope that performance should not be counted much for future overseas tests.

Knowing how BCCI has treated Sri Lanka in the past(i.e. calling them at will to boost our rankings), don't you think that is the perfect opportunity to give Rahane and Pujara one last chance?

[Ananthang]

Originally Posted by harry10

Where have i heard this before

So many people wanted Pant to be dropped after last match and were up in arms when I stated he is a rare talent and a match winner. Only if our tail has an iota of brain we could have managed 30-40 more runs. Kohli in first innings and now Pant in second innings ran out of partners. But, brilliant 100 which may or may not be match winning as 211 in my opinion is atleast 40-50 short.

I don't blame Dravid. He is relatively new in his role. I blame selectors for keep selecting Pujara and Rahane. No spine at all and worst at their job.

Time for Pujara to enjoy in Team when his entry was delayed atleast 2-3 Years due to Ganguly holding a spot but was no longer at his best.

They first have to move on from Rahane and then probably Pujara after a couple of series. Let’s see how the rest of match pans out. Couple of very early wickets can put enough pressure on the batting line up.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

240 to win...34-0...7 sessions to go...I think SA will take this match mking the 3rd match the series decider. Although our bowling is wonderful i think 240 is slightly below par. If Pant had not thrown it away, we'd have been in a lot better situation than we are in now.

212 to win...7 sessions to go...I think SA will take this match and the Series 2-1. Although our bowling is wonderful i think 212 is below par.

Oh this match is so similar to the second one!!

[KPR]

I have a fear if India wins this game, Rahane will be back in squad for next series. He has always been lucky.