Sportskeeda's Top 50 Indian Test cricketers of all-time (30-21)

#24 Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara's impeccable temperament makes him a natural Test batsman

With his tight technique and unflappable temperament, Cheteshwar Pujara was destined for Test glory right from the moment he chose the tranquility of whites and strapped his pads on. Despite having the services of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, the team management showed tremendous foresight in promoting him up the batting order during his debut Test against Australia in 2010. Pujara promptly responded with an 89-ball 72 to enable India to cruise to a tricky fourth-innings target at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

However, it was the antithesis of his debut knock which helped Pujara obtain control of the crucial number three position in India's Test batting lineup. Upon honing his trade on the benign Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot, the compact right-hander acquired the habit of spending long hours at the crease on a regular basis. A temporary hiccup during the challenging 2014/15 away season as well as inexplicable scrutiny over his strike-rate could not intercept Pujara's insatiable appetite for mammoth scores. He is one of only five Indian batsmen with a Test average in excess of 50 from at least 1000 runs.

Career Span: 2010-present

Statistics: 4107 runs from 51 matches at an average of 52.65 with 13 centuries and 15 fifties