Is this the end of the road for 'Test specialists' Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara?

Indian cricket is seeking a new dawn and there's no room for old guard. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are both in the twilight of their careers at 35 and exuberance of youth was more appealing to Indian selectors.

Both Rahane and Pujara were left out of the Test squad for India's tour of South Africa.

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There was a lot of hype around Pujara before the World Test Championship, for his stint with Sussex in the English county, but his inability to make an impact at the Oval against Australia raised concerns about his future. He was dropped from the West Indies trip and the subsequent failures in the Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy might have further dimmed his international prospects.

Meanwhile, with a stroke of luck, Rahane was part of the WTC squad after Iyer picked up a back injury before the IPL. He made the most of the opportunity and scored a solid 89 which vindicated his selection.

However, his fortunes took a downturn with dismal returns of 11 runs in two innings on flat pitches in the Caribbean. Hence, the selectors wielded the axe. Instead, they have opted for Iyer who has had a sensational World Cup with the bat after coming back from a lengthy injury layoff. 

MORE: India vs South Africa: Complete schedule, date, fixture, venue, time of T20I, ODIs & Tests

There is stiff competition for spots in the Indian team and the top order is almost set with the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. Meanwhile, Yashaswi Jaiswal is also a contender after he scored a whopping 256 runs in West Indies.

Additionally, Rahul's spot might come under the scanner if he fails to produce the goods once Rishabh Pant returns to full fitness in 2024. And a certain Ruturaj Gaikwad is also vying for an opportunity after his easy-flowing century against Australia in the T20I series. 

The exclusion of Rahane and Pujara from the Test squad for the South Africa tour definitely raises concerns about the future of their Test careers, but for Indian cricket it opens a window of fresh perspectives and rejuvenation.

Nonetheless, the dynamics are ever-evolving and these experienced players may still find opportunities to contribute to the team in the future if they prove themselves in the doemstic circuit, be it in India or abroad. 

Complete Indian squads for T20Is, ODIs and Test matches in South Africa

On Thursday, 30 November, the BCCI announced the squads for India's tour of South Africa. They are as follows.

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd. Shami*, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna.

ODI squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar.

T20I squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar.

India vs South Africa: Complete Schedule of T20Is, ODIs and Test matches

T20 Dates and Schedule

ODIs Dates and Schedule

Tests Dates and Schedule

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