The curious case of Cheteshwar Pujara

Strong comeback in subcontinent:

Pujara scored an unbeaten 145 against Sri Lanka and led India to a series win

India were playing Sri Lanka in the third Test at Colombo with the series tied at 1-1. Pujara was ignored for selection in the first two Tests. However he was picked as an opener in the third Test and he did not disappoint. On a tough batting pitch, he carried his bat and scored a brilliant 145 in India's first innings. India went on to win the Test and the series and Pujara for his heroics was named the man of the match.

Pujara was almost a certainty in the Indian team for the next couple of years as India played most of their cricket at home. The 4 match Test series against South Africa at the end of 2015 was dominated by the bowlers. Pujara managed to score 202 runs in 6 innings at an average of 33.67.

The year 2016 was a successful one for Pujara as India played most of its Test cricket at home. In 16 innings in 2016, Pujara scored 836 runs at an average of 55.73 with 3 centuries and 4 half centuries.

The year 2017 also saw Pujara dominating bowling attacks at home and in Sri Lanka and he managed to score 1140 runs in 18 innings at an average of 67.06