India vs Australia: Pujara Stands Tall to Dismantle Australia in Sydney

Cricketnext Staff | Updated: January 4, 2019, 11:10 AM IST

Cheteshwar Pujara fell perilously short of a maiden Test double-hundred in Australia but made sure his 193 put India firmly in the driver's seat on the second day of the fourth and final Test at Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

This was Pujara's third century of the series, becoming the sixth Indian to score at least three centuries in a Test series away from home. This is also Pujara’s personal best in terms of most centuries scored in a series and the joint best when it comes to scoring the most 50+ scores in a series.

Like it has often been the case with the Indian No.3, he came out and batted time wilting the bowlers, punishing whatever loose that came along his way. His 193 came in 373 deliveries which included 22 fours. In all, this series, Pujara has faced a total of 1258 deliveries and currently ranks behind just Rahul Dravid (1336 balls vs England in 2002) and Alastair Cook (1285 balls vs India in 2012) in terms of most balls faced by a batsman in an away Test series (maximum of four Tests). With one more innings to go, Pujara could well go to the top of this table.

When on 172, Pujara also went past the 500-run mark for the series, becoming only the third Indian batsman after Virat Kohli (692 runs in 2014-15) and Dravid (610 in 2003-04) to score more than 500 runs in a series in Australia. On a personal front as well, this was the first time Pujara had recorded more than 500 runs in a single series.

Incidentally, this was the first time in his first-class career that Pujara was dismissed for a score in the 190s. In all, he has 12 200+ scores of over 200 in first-class cricket which includes three triple-centuries.