Cheteshwar Pujara rose to the occasion with a maiden century in Australia, pulling India out of a deep hole to a respectable 250 for nine on day one of the first Test in Adelaide on Thursday.
Brushing aside the criticism for not scoring quickly enough, Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara said positive intent and not strike rate is what all that matters in Test cricket.
Cheteshwar Pujara struck a defiant century in an Adelaide Oval furnace to rescue India after Australia's pacemen threatened to dominate day one of the series-opening Test on Thursday.
Pujara may not have set alight county cricket with his Yorkshire stint but many believe the time he spent in the country gives him a distinct advantage over his team mates.
NADA DG added that "BCCI's explanation will be discussed as to whether it will be counted as one of three filing failures or not. It will be decided on the explanation given and how they (BCCI) proceed from here."
Ravi Shastri, who knows a thing or two about winning Test rubbers in Australia, on Thursday asked India skipper Rohit Sharma
India captain Virat Kohli described Cheteshwar Pujara's 132 not out against England in the first innings of the ongoing fourth Test as the Saurashtra batsman's best innings that deserves to be at the top.
'There will be a lot of spice to the contest -- there is a reason India is the only team other than England against whom Australia is keen to play a five Test series.' 'I'll watch, as I suspect most fans will -- but this one time, I'll watch with considerable trepidation and, from a fan's point of view, with the hope that the team finds its feet and that right quick,' notes the distinguished cricket commentator Prem Panicker.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, on Wednesday, singled out 'Run Machine' Cheteshwar Pujara for his stellar show in India's historic maiden Test series win in Australia.
'It'll be very much a battle again between the very good pace bowling attacks of both sides and how well the top order players of both sides can deal with the ball that will bounce, seam and probably swing a little bit more in the day-night game in Adelaide.'
Indian players are gearing up themselves at the Holkar Cricket Stadium for the pink ball Test match against Bangladesh.
India captain Virat Kohli described Cheteshwar Pujara as priceless.
Cheteshwar Pujara says he pays no attention to talk about his slow batting, as his job is to make sure that the team wins at all times.
Pujara termed Melbourne hundred as an 'important knock' while rating the Adelaide ton as a 'special knock' since it came in a winning cause.
India's batting is a major concern with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling for runs ahead of the tour of Australia.
England's bowlers have been left frustrated and clueless by Cheteshwar Pujara's brilliant batting.
India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday admitted that playing day-night Tests is an altogether different challenge for the batsman as the pace and visibility of the pink ball is very different from the traditional red ball.
Eoin Morgan said the current Indian team ranks as "one of the greatest in their own conditions".
Pujara has so far scored 521 runs in seven innings with three hundreds at an impressive average of 74.42.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara led India's determined response to England's mammoth first innings total of 537 as they struck dogged hundreds to guide the hosts to 319 for four on the third day of the first Test in Rajkot, on Friday.
Wriddhiman Saha is confident that Bengal's unheralded bunch of bowlers have seen enough of Cheteshwar Pujara on television to plot his dismissal when they take on Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy final, starting in Rajkot on Monday.
Defending champions Mumbai got their Ranji Trophy campaign back on track with an emphatic nine-wicket win over Maharashtra in their second group A league game in Mumbai on Monday, offsetting the heavy loss to Baroda in the opening game.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India nominated prolific run scorer Cheteshwar Pujara for the prestigious Arjuna award, acknowledging his stupendous show during the last Test season for India.
Gaikwad's supporters argue that his exclusion underscores inconsistencies in selection, with some feeling this sends a discouraging message to players trying to climb the ranks through domestic achievements.
Veteran India speedster Mohammed Shami has recovered from his niggles and is fit to play the final Test against England in Manchester, starting September 10.
India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara said winning the ICC Test Championship will be a much bigger achievement than claiming an ODI or T20 World Cup title. Pujara also hailed ICC's decision to introduce World Test Championship, saying it has made the traditional format of the game more competitive.
On a day when the pitch played out easy barring the extra bounce and reverse swing extracted by the Aussie pacers, a determined Pujara held India's innings together.
Steve Smith overtook India's Cheteshwar Pujara to grab the No 3 spot in the ICC rankings
Cheteshwar Pujara warmed up in style for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies with a fluent century in the warm-up match against West Indies Cricket Board President XI.
Opener Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara batted superbly to make centuries on Day 2 of the 2nd Test in Nagpur on Saturday. Here are the statistical highlights from the day's play.
Cheteshwar Pujara's reputation as a Test specialist had hampered his IPL prospects for last few years but India's No 3 is now ready to turn the corner for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021, having picked up cues from the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
'...it's been Shubman Gill, who's been moving from the opener's slot, and he himself wanted to bat at No. 3.'
Pujara admitted that the pitch is extremely difficult to bat on and the runs put on board is good enough to challenge Australia
'I couldn't even hold my bat, but I still wanted to carry on batting despite the amount of pain because me staying there was important for the team.' 'It was tough, but if you want to win matches for your team, if you want to contribute, then you will have to overcome such challenges.'
There is a possibility that some of the senior India players may play against England Lions when they tour India for a full-fledged series in end January-February.
Considering the Test format as the ultimate challenge for any cricketer, Cheteshwar Pujara, on Friday, said if he had to get an opportunity, he would still like to play the longest format.
The Indian Premier League Players' Auction auctions are always 'tricky' and going unsold does not make him feel frustrated, reveals Cheteshwar Pujara as he fights the public perception of being a red-ball specialist.
Virat Kohli remained on top while teammate Chesteshwar Pujara managed to hold on to his third position i
With an average of 65.17, he is only second behind Don Bradman.
Images from Day 4 of the third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane on Tuesday.
