When did Cheteshwar Pujara last score a Test century?

Team India’s vice-captain for the Chattogram Test against Bangladesh, Cheteshwar Pujara, top-scored for the side with 90 off 203 on Day 1 of the first Test on Wednesday, December 14.

The visitors won the toss and decided to bat first. India got off to an extremely poor start, losing three big wickets in the first session. Shubman Gill (20) top-edged a paddle sweep off Taijul Islam, while stand-in skipper KL Rahul (22) dragged a delivery from Khaled Ahmed back onto his stumps.

When Taijul trapped Virat Kohli (one) lbw with a delivery that spun sharply, India were in desperate need of a partnership at 48/3. Like he has done so often over the last decade, Pujara anchored the Indian innings, adding 64 for the fourth wicket with Rishabh Pant (46) and 149 for the fifth wicket with Shreyas Iyer (82* off 169).

While he batted with a lot of patience, Pujara also hit some impressive fours, striking 11 boundaries. He looked set for a well-deserved hundred. However, it wasn’t to be as the Indian No. 3 batter perished 10 short of the landmark.

In the 85th over of the innings, left-arm spinner Taijul got one to spin right past Pujara’s defense and comprehensively bowled him.

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Pujara’s wait for elusive three-figure score continues

While the veteran Saurashtra batter’s resolute knock lifted India out of a hole, his dismissal against the run of play extended his long wait for a Test century. The 34-year-old hasn’t scored a ton in red-ball cricket for India since January 2019.

His last Test hundred came against Australia in Sydney during the 2019 New Year’s Test. In the first innings of the match, Pujara scored a superlative 193 off 373 balls, hitting 22 fours. India scored 622/7 declared in their innings. Marred by rain and bad light, the Test ended in a draw, even as India registered a historic 2-1 series triumph.

Since registering his last Test hundred, Pujara has played 29 Tests (including the ongoing one against Bangladesh), in which he has scored 1456 runs at an average of 29.12. His best score in this period has been the 91 he scored against England in Leeds in August 2021.

The 90 he scored on Wednesday against Bangladesh in Chattogram is his second-best score since his last Test hundred. He was dismissed for 81 against South Africa in Visakhapatnam (August 2019), 77 versus Australia in Sydney (January 2021), and 73 against England in Chennai (February 2021).

Incidentally, Kohli also hasn’t scored a Test hundred since November 2019, which came against Bangladesh in Kolkata during the day-night Test.