Renowned for his determination and resilience, Pujara displayed unwavering strength and fought relentlessly for his team, placing them in a formidable position.
Cheteshwar Pujara, despite being dropped from India's Test squad for the West Indies series, showcased his exceptional skills by scoring a century in the Duleep Trophy semifinal. Pujara's gritty performance proved crucial in helping West Zone recover, as he received little support from his fellow batters. On Day 3, Pujara resumed his innings with a score of 50, while the rest of the team struggled, losing wickets consistently.
Renowned for his determination and resilience, Pujara displayed unwavering strength and fought relentlessly for his team, placing them in a formidable position. His outstanding innings reached a remarkable 133 runs before rain interrupted play in Alur.
Pujara has faced 278 balls so far, hitting 14 fours and a six. He continued his innings alongside Sarfaraz Khan, who unfortunately failed to contribute to his overnight score and was dismissed for 6.
Het Patel (27) attempted to provide support to Pujara, but he too fell short and was dismissed by Saransh Jain.
Nevertheless, Pujara held his ground and scored crucial runs for his team, placing them in a commanding position with a 383-run lead before play was halted due to rain.
In the first innings, Pujara also demonstrated resilience, facing 102 balls. However, he was unable to score big and was dismissed for 28 by Shivam Mavi.
In the second innings, he seized the opportunity and achieved a remarkable century, matching Vijay Hazare's record of 60 first-class centuries for India. He now trails only Sunil Gavaskar (81), Sachin Tendulkar (81), and Rahul Dravid (68) on the prestigious list.
Earlier, Cheteshwar Pujara faced a setback when he was excluded from India's Test squad following his lackluster performance in the World Test Championship Final against Australia. With disappointing scores in both innings, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to give opportunities to the promising youngsters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who received their maiden call-ups for the West Indies series.
However, the selection committee faced severe criticism from esteemed former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, for singling out Pujara as the scapegoat for India's failure on the grand stage. It was argued that other players also struggled against Australia at the Oval, making the decision to drop Pujara appear unjust.
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 "Cheteshwar Pujara | File Photo")
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