The 34-year-old Indian Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara is now in dream form with his bat as the right-handed batter just hit two back-to-back centuries in one-day format (List A format) in English cricket.
Before Cheteshwar Pujara started his new journey in English county cricket this year, he was struggling to perform consistently in Test cricket. Even his position in the Indian Test team was under threat at that period.
But since Pujara joined Sussex, the right-handed experienced Indian batter is going through in dream form. In the English County Championship season, though Sussex are struggling in Division Two, Pujara is the second most run-scorer in this Division Two with 1094 runs in 13 innings (8 matches) with an average of 109.40. He has hit five centuries in this competition, including three double-centuries.
Cheteshwar Pujara has scored 107 and 174 runs in English One-Day Cup
Pujara has maintained the brilliant batting form in the List A or one-day format for Sussex in the Royal London One-Day Cup 2022.
After scoring 107 off 79 balls (7 fours and 2 sixes) against Warwickshire (August 12 at Birmingham), where Sussex suffered a four-run defeat in 311 runs chasing, skipper Pujara scored a massive 174 off 131 balls (20 fours and 5 sixes) against Surrey last Sunday (August 14) at Hove. It was his highest List A score where he dominated the opposition bowlers.
Apart from Pujara, Tom Clark also scored a century (104) in that game as they helped Sussex to manage 378/6 in 50 overs. Surrey were bundled out for just 162 runs as Pujara-led Sussex won by 216 runs.
Pujara, who played only five ODIs for India between 2013 and 2014, is now the second most run-scorer in the ongoing Royal London One-Day Cup season with 367 runs in five innings with an average of 91.75, including two centuries and one half-century. His strike rate in this competition is 120.72.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s List A average is surprising
While Pujara’s present first-class batting average is 52.22, including a Test batting average of 43.81, his List A batting average is 55.95 after 106 innings.
