Cheteshwar Pujara, a star Indian batter and the current captain of Sussex, is in outstanding form in the current Country Championship Division 2. The 35-year-old helped his team reach 373 runs in the first inning against Worchestershire by scoring 136 runs off 189 deliveries.
Pujara is doing well in his preparations for the World Test Championship finals against Australia, which will start on June 7 at The Oval, away from all the glitz and glamour of the currently running IPL 2023.
Notably, Pujara has already scored two centuries in a row in the competition, making him the season’s highest run-scorer right now. The cricketer has amassed 468 runs in four games, and his performance will undoubtedly increase India’s prospects of winning an ICC trophy after a ten-year absence.
The seasoned batter, meanwhile, made his intentions with the bat known earlier in the season on April 6 when he crushed a great century against Durham. Later, against Gloucestershire, he was able to reach his second century of the campaign, scoring 151 runs in the process.
The batsman from Rajkot has thus far managed to score three centuries in four matches, and it is therefore anticipated that he will play a crucial role against Australia in the WTC final.
Meanwhile, Pujara’s century against Worchestershire is significant since it equals Vijay Hazare’s record of 60 first-class centuries. In first-class cricket, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar have both scored 80 hundreds, while Rahul Dravid has hammered 68 tons.
Steve Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara combine for Sussex
Steve Smith, one of the all-time greats of cricket, joined Sussex in order to get used to the English conditions before the WTC final and the next Ashes series. Pujara and Smith were seen batting together for the first time on Friday, as their 61-run partnership was useful in the middle.
Pujara admitted that he was on the fence about playing with Smith because they would soon be competing against one another before the game.
“There will be conflicting emotions because we will be playing in the WTC final. We always have good fights on the field, but we also get along well off it. Pujara brought it up.
India
