NEW DELHI: As the Test caravan in England moves to the Oval for the fourth and perhaps most crucial Test match of the series, which is locked currently at 1-1, one area which Team India would definitely want to improve in is their batting performances from numbers 3 to 6.
While KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have (barring in the Headingley Test) made sure that the opening combination has not become a real headache, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant need to put up big scores as the visitors, who were denied a win in the first Test due to bad weather, try to take the lead in the series once again.
Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have not scored a Test century in over two years. Kohli’s deputy Ajinkya Rahane’s last Test ton was scored in December 2020. The last time we saw Kohli raise his bat to celebrate a ton was back in November 2019 (136 vs Bangladesh in Kolkata in the Day and Night Test) and Pujara in January 2019 (193 vs Australia in Sydney).
Kohli has scores of 0,42, 20, 7, and 55 in his last five Test outings in the ongoing Test series in England. Meanwhile Pujara, who played a 91-run knock in the Headingley Test, after drawing flak on social media, has scored a total of 162 runs in the 3 Tests so far (6 innings) at an average of 32.40. Before his 91-run knock, Pujara, who has taken the team out of precarious situations on many occasions in the past, had scores of 4, 12*, 9, 45, and 1 in the five outings before that with the bat.
Former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar, who played 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and 4 T20Is for the country, feels the very talented Indian batsmen who are currently not managing to score big consistently need support in tough times.

Virat Kohli (Reuters Photo)
“Criticism is part and parcel of a player’s career. When you do well, you get applause, when you don’t do well, you get criticism. He (Pujara) has played 80 plus Tests. I don’t think he needs advice from other people. He has scored almost 6000 runs. You have got to back them. He is a talented and experienced player,” Agarkar told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“There are certain players, who have served you well over the years, who know these conditions, who you should try to back as much as you can and then make a decision if somebody is not scoring runs. Ajinkya and Pujara might be under a little bit of pressure, there is no doubt about it, but their innings have helped India,” Agarkar further said.
Rahane’s willow is yet to score big. Apart from his 61-run knock in the opening Test, the Mumbaikar has not notched up a big score in the ongoing Test series. His scores in the series read – 5, 1, 61, 18, and 10.
After India lost the opening Test in Adelaide and Kohli took paternity leave, Rahane was the captain and guided India to a 2-1 series win in Australia.
He also scored 268 runs in 4 Tests against Australia, averaging 38.28. His match-winning hundred in Melbourne was one of the highlights of India’s victorious campaign.

Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara (ANI Photo)
Does the responsibility of captaincy make Rahane a better batsman then?
“He (Rahane) has captained in one series overseas and that too in three Tests. He scored one hundred there and he didn’t have a massive series after that. It was an important hundred. I would say it was a match-winning hundred. Responsibility certainly helps some people. It perhaps brings the best out in him. Whether it is the case with Ajinkya, I can’t get into his head. He certainly had a very big role in India’s series win in Australia. To win in Australia is very very difficult, especially having lost the first Test and being bowled out for 36. And they didn’t have their two best players. Shami and Virat both didn’t play after the first Test which was a big blow. I think Ajinkya did exceptionally well”. Agarkar further told TimesofIndia.com.
“He (Ajinkya) is now searching for runs. I am sure his half-century (in the Lord’s Test) will do him a world of good. He has got a lot of experience. And you want experienced players, especially, when you go abroad on important tours like England or Australia. These are tough tours and you want experienced people in your batting (line up). He is under a bit of pressure but is a talented batsman. And that’s what experienced players give you when the chips are down and when you are struggling as a team. India would be hoping he scores a lot of runs in the upcoming Tests,” Agarkar signed off.
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