Cheteshwar Pujara Joins Elite List With 50th First-Class Hundred

Cheteshwar Pujara has always been a batsman with enough potential to play long knocks. He has proved to be a real case for himself as a viable batsman in the red-ball cricket. Now again, he scripted history his year by joining the elite list of cricketing greats.

The right-handed batsman went about his business against Karnataka at his home ground in Rajkot and in the process, he scored his 50th first-class century. Pujara can absolutely take pride in the fact that he has now joined the select group of nine Indians namely Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid with his recent century.

Pujara is fourth on the list of active cricketers with most first-class centuries behind Essex and England batting great Alastair Cook (65), former South Africa skipper Hashim Amla (52). The 31-year-old Cheteshwar Pujara will be plying his trade for Surrey from the next season.

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Steve Smith is nearest to Cheteshwar Pujara

It should be noted that among the current active Test cricketers, the nearest to Cheteshwar Pujara is Australia’s best batsman Steven Smith, who has scored 42 first-class centuries to his lofty standards of punching and counter-punching techniques. Pujara’s India team-mates namely Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are behind with 34 and 32 first-class centuries.

Pujara brought the best out of himself when he scored two half-centuries against Uttar Pradesh and Railways in the previous matches. While spicing it up against Karnataka, Pujara walked out to bat at 28 for 1 in the first session. However, he slowly paced up the innings quite perfectly and scored a century. He went beyond 150 and ended the day not out on 162 as Saurashtra concluded the opening day on 296 for 2.

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