The IPL is the talk of the town right now in cricket. But, away from the glamour of the cash-rich league, Indian Test great Cheteshwar Pujara has continued to do what he does best: score heaps and heaps of runs.
The Saurashtra-born batter hasn’t played in the IPL since 2014, and while he was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings for Rs 50 lakh in 2021, he failed to find any game time.
But he still isn’t out of the reckoning for India’s Test team. Cheteshwar Pujara last played an international first-class match in June 2023 and was subsequently dropped due to his dwindling form. But that hasn’t deterred him.
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Pujara’s incredible form
Playing for Sussex in the County Championship Division Two, Cheteshwar Pujara has scored nearly 300 runs and has two fifty-plus scores in 3 matches. His average of 93.66 is the fifth highest so far, and he’s one of a select few to score a hundred in the 2024 season.
In the four innings he played, his lowest score was 38, which came against Leicestershire in his first match. Since then, he’s scored 86 and 44* against Gloucestershire and helped Sussex get their first win of the season. In the last match he played, he ended up being the lone centurion of the match with his 113 against Derbyshire.
However, with a long season ahead, Cheteshwar Pujara will be far from done. Up next from him is Glamorgan, a side that’s yet to win a match in the ongoing season, and the Sam Northeast-led team is placed sixth on the points table.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s record for Sussex this season
| Mat | Inn | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 281 | 93.66 | 48.11 | 1 | 1 |
