Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s resilience in red-ball cricket, a true talisman of the gentleman’s game, turns 33 on Monday, January 25. Post Rahul Dravid era, India got his substitute in Pujara. In modern-day Test cricket, Pujara’s grit and grind bring an unperturbed balance, and without a doubt, he is one of India’s gems.
He became a vital cog in India’s triumph down under in the latest series, but couldn’t replicate his feat of 2018-19. In the previous series against Australia, Pujara hit three Test hundreds. He was adjudged the Man of the Series.
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And Justin Langer said after the 2018-19 series, “…I have never seen a batsman watch the ball as closely as he (Pujara) does, and that includes Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. His concentration was a challenge. And we have to keep getting better just like him, all our batsmen and bowlers.”
Cheteshwar Pujara in numbers:
- Pujara made his Test debut for India against Australia in 2010. He has played 81 Test where he has amassed 6111 runs averaging 47.74. He has 18 Test hundreds and 28 fifties. His highest score remains 206 not out.
- An out and out red-ball batsman, he has played only 5 ODIs for the men in blue. He made his ODI debut in 2013, against Zimbabwe.
- Pujara’s last five innings highlight three fifties which he scored against Australia in the latest Border-Gavaskar series. The scores being 25, 56, 50, 77, and 17.
- Pujara’s latest feat was when he became the first Indian batsman to survive 200+ balls in an innings six times in Australia. He overcame five previous instances each by Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.
- Pujara became the 11th player from India to reach 6000 Test runs in the 20201-21 Border-Gavaskar series. He took 134 innings to reach the landmark.
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