With an average of 17.3 in the last 12 matches, Raina will have to perform in South Africa to keep his place in the one-day team © AFP

The South African tour could be the last chance for Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif to establish themselves in the Indian one-day team, said Venkatapathy Raju, one of the national selectors.

After India's poor performances in the Champions Trophy, Raju indicated that VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly might be given a look-in if Kaif and Raina did not perform in the five-match ODI series in South Africa. "Let's put it on record. Both Sourav and Laxman have to score in the forthcoming Duleep and Ranji Trophy matches," Venkatapathy Raju, the South Zone selector, told The Times of India. Explaining why Raina and Kaif were selected for the Champions Trophy, Raju said, "They were a bit rusty going into the Champions Trophy, so we wanted to give them another chance. If they don't perform in South Africa, they can go back to domestic cricket and sort out their problems."

Kaif played only one match in the Champions Trophy where he scored 30, while Raina managed just 32 in the three matches he played in. Kaif, though, has done well in recent matches - since India's tour to the West Indies in May 2006, he three played eight matches at 42.83 and thrice managed a score above 50. Raina, on the other hand, has played 12 matches, averaging 17.3 and has only once passed 30.