From Rajkot's maidans to cricket's grandest arenas, Cheteshwar Pujara carved a niche as the bedrock of India's Test side. He is one of only 14 Indians to feature in more than 100 Tests, and his innings often defined India's most memorable triumphs.
The sturdiness of the headgear saved Nizar's life after Gujarat's Arzan Nagwaswalla's full-blooded shot hit flush on the state emblem on his helmet in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Ahmedabad on Friday.
K L Rahul's indifferent form could throw Cheteshwar Pujara a lifeline for the tour of Australia, where he enjoys a great record.
The late Vijay Merchant, who wore several distinguished hats on and off the field, followed the dictum of former England cricketer Patsy Hendren, when the great opener chose to retire from Tests after a last innings effort of 154 at Delhi, said ex-cricketer Vasant Raiji.
This provided only the sixth such instance in Test cricket of the first six batsmen getting the past the half-century in an innings and four of them have have come against India.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq became the oldest player to score a Test century for 82 years, when he scored an unbeaten 110 runs against England at Lord's on Thursday. Pakistan were 282 for 6 at stumps on the opening day of the first Test in a four-match series.
Here are the statistical analysis at the end of the four-match series between India and Australia.
