Australia's world number one pacer Pat Cummins finds India's middle-order mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara the toughest batsman to bowl at in Test cricket and called him a "pain in the back" for his team. With his solid batting at number three, Pujara had played an influential role in India's historic Test series triumph in Australia in 2018-19.
For India's current head coach, the Test series defeat against New Zealand at home, a first in 12 years and after 18 victories on the trot, would be a bitter pill to swallow.
According to PTI, the chairman of selectors, Chetan Sharma has asked the duo to regain form by playing Ranji Trophy.
Controversial keeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has been dropped from the Test team, will still earn Rs 1 crore in annual income after being demoted from group B to C.
Cheteshwar Pujara has made a comeback to India's Test team while youngsters Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have received an India call-up as the selection committee on Sunday named the squad for the five-match T20I series against South African in June and the one-off Test against England in July.
For someone who smashed 1000 first-class runs in a month's domestic cricket in the 2017-18 season, it shouldn't come as a surprise that a heavy duty scorer like Mayank Agarwal knows a thing or two about the art of conversion, believes Cheteshwar Pujara.
Shami was doing an Instagram Live session with batsman Manoj Tiwary and it was then that the latter asked Shami to name the player who bats the best against him in the nets.
Do you know who rules Cheteshwar Pujara's heart?
While Cheteshwar Pujara scored 4, 12 not out and 9 in the three innings he batted on the ongoing England tour, Ajinkya Rahane managed just 5 and 1 in the two innings he played.
He featured in four games earlier in the summer, scoring 223 runs at an average of 44.6, including 112 in the victory over Gloucestershire in May.
The right-hander feels that keeping India's relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning in Perth on Friday.
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada tried to disturb Cheteshwar Pujara's concentration on the opening day of the second Test in Pune.
Pujara, on his part, thanked all the front-line warriors including doctors, para medical staff, and police, who are doing selfless service at this critical juncture.
Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have been a "bit of a headache" for South Africa and the hosts will look to get them out early on Day 3 of the series-deciding third Test, said Proteas batter Keegan Petersen, in Cape Town, on Wednesday.
The county championship Division one was scheduled to start on April 12 before it was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
India will need to bat 90 plus overs on the final day of the third Test and score another 309 runs with Pujara and Rahane aiming to save the match
Cheteshwar Pujara hit an unbeaten century to guide Saurashtra to the Ranji Trophy final after they outclassed Karnataka by five wickets in the semi-final in Bengaluru, on Monday.
Australia's in-depth planning to subdue Cheteshwar Pujara worked out well in the opening Test but spinner Nathan Lyon says it would be a massive challenge to keep the world-class batsman quiet through the remainder of the series.
Mohammad Shami walked off the field after failing to complete his 14th over but top order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara insisted that the injury was not "serious" and the pacer would be back in action on Sunday.
He is short of confidence with self-doubts: Sanjay Manjrekar reflects on Rohit Sharma's recent Test form
Cheteshwar Pujara's masterful 193 and Rishabh Pant's magnificent unbeaten 159 extinguished Australia's hopes of winning the SCG Test.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (919) continued to lead the batting charts, with the Australian duo of Steve Smith (891) and Marnus Labuschagne (878) rounding up the top three.
With an eye on the gruelling Australia series that follows the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, the Indian Tests specialists including Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari have begun preparations for the pink ball Test against Australia at the ICC Academy in Dubai, from Friday evening.
Australia pace spearhead Pat Cummins describes Cheteshwar Pujara as a 'brick wall', whose wicket he targeted once captain Virat Kohli returned home after the first Test during the recent series against India.
Cheteshwar Pujara, the new face in the Indian squad for the upcoming Test series against Australia, has all the right credentials to grace and brighten the star-studded Indian middle-order, says Haresh Pandya.
As the nation celebrates its 76th Republic Day, India's sports fraternity took to social media to share their patriotic sentiments and wishes with fans across the country on Sunday.
'If it was up to me, Dubai would always host a one off match like this WTC game. Neutral venue, fabulous stadium, guaranteed weather, excellent training facilities and a travel hub!' KP tweeted.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Arpit Vasavada gave a masterclass in defensive batting with a five-hour partnership on day two, taking Saurashtra to a strong position on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy final against Bengal, in Rajkot, on Tuesday. Pujara (66 off 237), who was on five when he retired hurt on day one due to fever, and Vasavada (106 off 287) batted for two sessions and five overs as the hosts reached 384 for eight at the close of play.
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BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Monday lauded the efforts of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin in saving the third Test against Australia and urged the Indian team to go for a series win in the final match in Brisbane.
Pujara hit his 49th first class hundred and shared an unconquered 201-run fourth-wicket stand with Sheldon Jackson (90) to help his side end the fourth day at 224 for three, just 55 runs away from the victory.
Shreyas Iyer would be aiming to revive his start-stop international career, while Ishan Kishan would aim to clear the popular perception about his allegedly 'misplaced priorities'.
The Indian Test cricket specialists posted pictures of them on 'daddy duty' as they took their children for a stroll around Sydney.
Pujara established himself as the difference between the sides in the ongoing series against Australia on Friday.
Cummins hopes the conditions this time would be in Australia's favour, saying they would need to get the likes of Pujara out of his comfort zone to stop India.
'I cannot say in one line what Rahul bhai means to me. He has always been an inspiration, and will remain one'
Cheteshwar Pujara is set to play his 100th Test match when India take on Australia for the 2nd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
According to Pujara, his nemesis Patrick Cummins bowled the 'ball of the series' about which he couldn't do anything.
County cricket teaches you a lot and helps you grow as a cricketer, says Cheteshwar Pujara as the Indian batsman emphasised the benefits of playing in England's domestic competition after scoring his 12th Test century.
Pujara's slowest Test half-century, a painstaking 50 off 176 balls handed Australia control of the match in which they now have overall lead of 197 runs.
