Their places in the Indian Test team were on the line and Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane delivered when it mattered the most.
The senior batting pair came out with the visitors in a dire need of a partnership. The duo did exactly that and stitched together a crucial 111-run stand on a tricky Wanderers track. While Pujara adopted an attacking approach and smashed his fastest fifty in Tests, Rahane looked like his vintage self and scored a half-century. Sadly, both were dismissed soon after.
Talks of leaving them out of the playing XI have been doing the rounds for quite a while now but contrary to popular belief, at least one of two, if not both, have stood up for India every time the team did well overseas in the last couple of years.
The pair bailing India out of yet another vulnerable situation has now made the team management's job even tougher. The question is, will these half-centuries help Rahane and Pujara save their spots in the team when Virat Kohli returns?
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