Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Cheteshwar Pujara set to join elite list of Indians with 100 Tests

Cheteshwar Pujara will join an elite list of India cricketers when he takes the field for the second Test against Australia in Delhi on February 17.

Cheteshwar Pujara will become the 13th India cricketer to play 100 Test matches. Ironically, this landmark is set to be achieved against Australia, an opposition he has often ground to the dust in the past. Pujara will only be the second cricketer in the current team to play 100 Tests. Virat Kohli had played his 100th against Sri Lanka in Mohali in March 2022.

Incidentally, Pujara had made his Test debut against Australia back in 2010 in Bengaluru and gave immediate notice of what was to come over the next decade. In the second innings of his debut Test, Pujara was promoted to No.3 ahead of Rahul Dravid, and scored a fluent 72 as India chased down 207 to win the series 2-0.

Since his scintillating debut, Cheteshwar Pujara played 20 more Test matches against Australia and today, boasts of an outstanding record against India’s fiercest rivals in the Test arena.

In 21 matches versus Australia, Pujara has 1900 runs at an average of 52.77 including 5 hundreds and 10 fifties.

On India’s tour of Australia in 2018-19, Cheteshwar Pujara was the topped the batting charts with 521 runs in 4 Test matches as India went on to win their first ever Test series in that country. Two years later, Pujara did not score as many runs but copped several body blows in some of the gutsiest innings in Test cricket in the modern era as India won their second consecutive Test series in Australia.

Overall, Cheteshwar Pujara has an outstanding record in 99 Tests, having scored 7021 runs at 44.15 with the help of 19 hundreds and 34 half-centuries.

Cheteshwar Pujara is not the typical new-age cricketer. He has been dropped from the Test team in the past for his strike-rate issues and one often wonders whether he could have scored more quickly in an age where Test matches are dictated by batters who are more aggressive in the middle.

However, Pujara has sought to change his game and approach. In Bangladesh late last year, Pujara hit his fastest Test hundred; in Nagpur, he got out cheaply but there were signs of a batter who wanted to dominate early.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were dropped from the team after India lost a Test series in South Africa despite taking a 1-0 lead. While Rahane continues to sit out in the cold, it was impossible for the team management to overlook Pujara who made a successful return to the Test side for the rescheduled match against England in Birmingham.

Since his return to the side, Cheteshwar Pujara has shown more intent. After a second innings 66 in Birmingham, Pujara scored 90 and 102 not in the first Test against Bangladesh before a failure in Nagpur.

Cheteshwar Pujara will be a key player as India look to continue their domination over Australia and the team would hope for a special effort from their No.3 in his landmark match.