Three centuries in four Test matches – Cheteshwar Pujara has been beyond impressive in India’s ongoing four-match series against Australia. He smashed a 106 in his first innings of the rubber at Adelaide, that India went on to win by 31 runs. And he put up scores of 123 and 71 in the third Test at Melbourne, which also ended with a 137-run victory for the visitors.
The 30-year-old batsman on Thursday, 3 January, brought up a century off 199 balls during India’s fourth and final against Test at Sydney, to become only the third Indian cricketer to score three centuries in a Test centuries in Australia.
As he scored his 18th Test century, congratulatory messages started pouring in from around the world. Indian cricketers Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh lauded Pujara and his consistency.
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen had a special message for the young cricketers. “The RESPECT you get as a cricketer for what Cheteshwar is doing in TEST CRICKET, is GREATER than any wonderfully skilful T20 innings. Youngsters – look, learn & listen!,” he said in a tweet.
(For live updates from the India vs Australia Sydney Test, click here.)
“Epic performance!” was how senior sports commentator and journalist Ayaz Memon described Pujara’s knock.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)