Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid, now the coach of the Indian cricket team, faced a tough decision in January 2022. Two seasoned batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, were struggling with poor form during a three-test series in South Africa, leaving the sword of potential retirement hanging over their heads. In a brutally honest conversation, Dravid informed 37-year-old wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha that his services were no longer needed, stating that the selectors and team management were looking for a new face to take his place.
Pujara, Rahane, and Saha are known for their strong and silent character traits, with a resolve that rarely shows on their faces. They seem like cricketers from an earlier era, the one in which Dravid played. While Kohli’s team breaks into loud over-the-top celebrations, these three men are more like grown-ups at a party for teenagers. They were active on social media but not quite the modern-day influencers. Their dropping did ignite sympathy but not outrage.
Out of the Indian team, if Pujara, Rahane, and Saha hoped to have a ‘second wind,’ they would have to find their own way back. Pujara's record-breaking season for Sussex led to his return to the team within months of being dropped, where he would score a hundred against Bangladesh, earning him the reputation as the team's reliable No.3.
Nowadays, while his teammates play in T20, Pujara is playing county cricket in England. The man who lost the Test captaincy race to KL Rahul is now being raved as an inspirational Sussex skipper. In-charge of a young side, with Aussie star Steve Smith as a foreign signing, Pujara has had three hundreds in four games. With him at the helm, Sussex dares to dream of promotion.
Pujara, Rahane, and Saha have all faced difficult challenges, but their determination to continue playing cricket has been unwavering. They may not have had the same luxuries as Dravid, but they have found their own ways to overcome adversity and prove their worth as valuable members of the Indian cricket team.
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