Cheteshwar Pujara, Nathan Lyon
Cheteshwar Pujara. Image Courtesy: Getty

On Thursday (February 21st), Saurashtra batsman and India’s no.3 in Tests, Cheteshwar Pujara slammed a 61-ball 100* against Railways in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019.

A day later, he hit another quickfire fifty in the domestic T20 tournament. Playing against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, Pujara scored 68 off 46 balls – including 11 boundaries. Courtesy his knock, Saurashtra won the match by six wickets.

Pujara Shines in Australia, Ranji Trophy

It was during the Australia Tests when Pujara began to hog the limelight. Though he had been a well-known player among fans and a reliable batsman in Tests; the right-hander finally struck gold outside Asian conditions. Contrary to his previous tour in 2014/15, Cheteshwar Pujara hit not only one hundred, but three triple-digit scores across four Tests.

It all started in the first match in Adelaide where India was reeling at 41 for four in the first innings. At the crease, it was Pujara and Rohit who began the rescue work. Though the wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Pujara didn’t lose his concentration – scoring 123 and helped India touch 250-mark. In the following match at the new stadium in Perth, he didn’t fare well, as India lost the game too.

At the Boxing day Test in the MCG, the notched yet another fighting hundred (106 off 319). As a result, India capitalised on the same and retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Meanwhile, the one-drop batsman for India in Tests kept his best for the last Test. In Sydney, Cheteshwar came close on scoring his first double century in Australia but got out seven runs short on 193. In total, he amassed 521 runs in four Tests at an average of 74.43.

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Later, he shone in the Ranji Trophy too – scoring a ton in semis against Karnataka and helped his team reach the finals. Though Vidarbha won the summit clash, Pujara’s excellent run-of-form got applauded everywhere.

Cheteshwar Pujara, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019
Cheteshwar Pujara scored a hundred and a fifty in consecutive Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 games. Image Courtesy: ESPNcricinfo

Saurashtra star hits quick runs in T20s

On Friday, Pujara’s fifty gained prominence, as he, time and again is silencing his critics with his bat. Earlier, Pujara had said he would like to succeed in the white-ball cricket, as he has the technique to do so. Meanwhile, given his recent results, it seems Cheteshwar Pujara has worked on his game.

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