Cheteshwar Pujara smashes century for Sussex ahead of WTC final

Sussex captain Cheteshwar Pujara smashed a century in their first innings against Durham in the ongoing County Championship Division Two on Friday, April 7.

The right-handed batter scored 115 runs off 163 balls, including 13 fours and a six. He reached his ton off just 134 balls with back-to-back boundaries off Brydon Carse in the 55th over.

For the uninitiated, Pujara’s success in England is nothing new. The 35-year-old amassed 1094 runs in only eight matches at a phenomenal average of 109.40 last season, including five centuries. He followed that up with 624 runs in nine innings in the Royal London One-Day Cup, smashing three centuries.

The right-handed batter's terrific form with the bat helped him keep his place in the national team before he brought up his 19th Test hundred for India in Bangladesh last year.

Cheteshwar Pujara, however, failed to deliver for Team India in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home, but the hosts won the four-test series 2-1. He scored just 140 runs in six innings against Australia at an underwhelming average of 28, including a lone half-century.

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Cheteshwar Pujara vital for Team India in the ICC World Test Championship final

Cheteshwar Pujara will now look to emulate his last season’s success with Sussex ahead of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final against Australia, scheduled to be played at the Oval in London, starting June 7.

In a recent press conference ahead of his 100th Test, Pujara expressed his wish to win the WTC final for the Indian team. He said:

“My dream is to win that WTC Final for the Indian team. Hopefully, once we qualify, we’ll look towards that.”

The Saurashtra batter might have failed to deliver in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but will be vital for Team India in the WTC final. The right-handed batter has a decent record against Australia away from home, having scored 993 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 47.29.

WTC final hosts England are likely to provide similar conditions where Cheteshwar Pujara has fared well with the bat, scoring 829 runs in 15 Tests, including a ton and five half-centuries.