Cheteshwar Pujara might be out of the Indian Test side at the moment, but he’s still churning out big runs in first-class cricket across competitions.
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Pujara last played for India almost a year back, in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia. Having endured an extended lean run in international cricket up until then, he was subsequently dropped and hasn’t been able to make his way back yet. Shubman Gill has taken over the No.3 spot from him while several other youngsters have earned chances in the Indian Test batting order as well.
The grind, however, hasn’t stopped for the now 36-year-old.
In the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, he finished as the third-highest run-getter with 829 runs from eight games at an average of 69.08. Pujara is now plying his trade in the 2024 County Championship for Sussex in Division Two, where he is again amongst the runs. From four knocks so far, Pujara has amassed 281 runs at 93.66, including a hundred.
In fact, Pujara’s last six first-class games across competitions have seen him score three tons. The first of those came against Rajasthan where he scored a 230-ball 110 at No.4 in the first innings, partnering with Sheldon Jackson who also scored a hundred, as Saurashtra made 328. Pujara then made 25 in the second innings before Saurashtra bundled Rajasthan out for 87 in a chase of 306 to win big.
Pujara followed up the century against Rajasthan with another against Manipur in the very next game. This one, however, was not a typical Pujara hundred grafted with patience. He came out to bat at No.6 in the first innings after Manipur were bowled out for 142. With two batters already having scored hundreds before him, Pujara showed uncharacteristic intent as he scored a better than run-a-ball hundred, a 105-ball 108. The knock included 12 fours and a six. Saurashtra eventually won the game by an innings.
Pujara played another game against Tamil Nadu where he wasn’t able to cross fifty. His next first-class assignment was for Sussex. After showing glimpses of form with 38 against Leicestershire and 88 and 44 not out against Gloucestershire in a tense victory, he finally crossed the three-figure mark against Derbyshire in Sussex’s most recent game.
Having restricted their opponents to 246, Sussex made 479, led by Pujara’s 113 off 186 balls from No.4. Derbyshire were no match for them in the second innings as they were bowled out for 109, losing the game by an innings.
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Three other Sussex batters have more runs than Pujara this season as of now, but all three of them have played one knock more than him. Pujara, however, has the highest average among Sussex batters – 93.66.
Pujara isn’t the only Indian batter doing well in county cricket lately. Karun Nair, another discarded Test player, has been in a rich vein of form for Northamptonshire. From five innings, he has scored 321 runs at 80.25 so far, including an unbeaten double hundred against Glamorgan and a fifty against Sussex.
Realistically, both these batters might have a negligible chance of making it back to the Indian Test side. But for now, they are doing the best they can for themselves and are showing that they are not done yet.
