Cheteshwar Pujara centuries in Test cricket

Indian cricket has not witnessed plenty of Cheteshwar Pujara centuries over the last few years. But when the batter is in full flow, it is an absolute delight to watch him. When Pujara came to the fore in 2012, he was expected to fill in the massive shoes of Rahul Dravid, who was called ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket.

Pujara is one of the nine Indian cricketers to have played more than 100 Tests. The other cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly.

The first of Cheteshwar Pujara centuries came way back in August 2012. In his fourth Test match, he scored 159 runs off 306 balls with 19 fours and one six against New Zealand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. On the back of his knock, India scored 438 in the first innings after which the hosts went on to win the match by an innings and 115 runs.

The second of Cheteshwar Pujara centuries came back in November 2012 against England at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. It was also the first time when he scored a double hundred. Pujara scored 206 runs off 389 balls with 21 fours. This time around, Pujara became the Player of the Match after India won the match by nine wickets.

Another of Cheteshwar Pujara centuries that was converted into a double ton came back in March 2013. The right-handed batter has scored 204 runs off 341 balls with 30 fours and one six against Australia in Hyderabad. This time also Pujara won the Player of the Match award as India won the contest by an innings and 135 runs.

In March 2017, one of Cheteshwar Pujara centuries was converted into a double hundred. Pujara won the Player of the Match award after he scored 202 runs off 525 balls with the help of 21 fours. After Australia scored 451, India took a lead of 152 runs in the first innings on the back of Pujara’s knock. India reduced the Aussies to 204 for six in the second innings before the match was drawn. Pujara also won the Player of the Match award.

There was a phase when Pujara did not score a hundred for as long as three years. The last of the Cheteshwar Pujara centuries came back in December 2022 against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. Pujara scored 102 not out as he scored 102 runs off 130 balls with 13 fours.

In the first innings of the Test, Pujara had a chance to score a hundred, but he missed out. Pujara scored 90 runs off 203 balls with 11 fours before left-arm spinner Taijul Islam accounted for his wicket. India won the match by 188 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Back in 2022, Pujara lost his team in the Indian team due to poor form. But soon after he made his comeback into the national setup. He recently played for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Kennington Oval in London. The 35-year-old has scored over 7000 runs at an average of around 44. He has garnered a lot of praise for his solid technique and unreal patience.

While Pujara has scored two double hundreds on Indian soil, he has also been exceptional in overseas conditions. Back in January 2019, Pujara scored 193 against Australia at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Pujara was the leading run-scorer of the series. He notched 521 runs from four matches at an average of 74.42 with three centuries and one hundred.

Shoot Diaries 📸 pic.twitter.com/LOy7ohEIyN

— Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar1) June 5, 2023

Cheteshwar Pujara centuries in County Cricket

Apart from his performance for India at the highest level, Pujara has been excellent for Sussex in County Cricket. Back in 2022, Pujara was exceptional when he played alongside Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan for Sussex. He finished fourth in the list of highest run-scorers in the tournament.

Pujara scored 1094 runs in 13 innings from eight matches at an average of 109.40 with five centuries. Every team he scored a half-century, Pujara made sure of converting them into a century. He also got a top score of 231 against Middlesex at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

Pujara’s knock made sure that Sussex scored 523 in their first innings. Pujara failed in the second innings, but Sussex went on to draw the match.

Pujara was rewarded for his performance as Sussex made him the skipper for the 2023 edition of the County Championship. As of now, Pujara is the second-highest run-scorer in the Division 2 of the tournament. In eight innings from six matches, Pujara scored 545 runs at an average of 68.12 with three centuries and one fifty to show for his efforts.

He got his top score of 151 not out against Gloucestershire at the County Ground in Bristol. Overall, Pujara has scored nearly 20000 runs in first-class cricket with 59 centuries and 76 half-centuries to his name. Apart from India and Sussex, Pujara has also done well for Saurashtra in various domestic leagues in India.

Pujara has also been a part of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Here is the list of all Cheteshwar Pujara centuries in Test cricket