A double century off a record 525 balls to defy the Aussies in Ranchi, the highest scorer in the Test season so far and the number two batsman in the ICC Test batsman rankings – Cheteshwar Pujara has come a long way from the start of the cricket season.
Just nine months back, the Indian batsman was not even sure of his place in the Indian team.
At the start of this cricket season, Pujara scored 62 runs in two Tests against West Indies and found himself dropped from the squad in the third test. Captain Virat Kohli had then expressed the need for him to score at a quicker pace.
The team returned to India, time for rest, they said. But Pujara dived right into the Duleep Trophy with a point to prove. He scored a century, and then a double century in the final, at a strike rate that would make his skipper proud.
Then came the series against New Zealand where Pujara scored 373 runs in three Tests, becoming the team’s highest scorer.
He carried that glorious form into the Test series against England – scoring two centuries and a half-century.
After all these achievements, Cheteshwar Pujara will be spending the next two months as a mere spectator of the Indian Premier League.
The gods of cricket must really be crazy!
Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
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