'I cannot say in one line what Rahul bhai means to me. He has always been an inspiration, and will remain one'
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.
Pujara grafted his way to three centuries in the ongoing Test series against Australia, playing a key role in India's dominance.
According to Pujara, his nemesis Patrick Cummins bowled the 'ball of the series' about which he couldn't do anything.
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.
'Under lights, with the late swing, it is challenging for batsmen'
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.
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.
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.
Team management was always clear that once Rohit is fit and able to join the squad, he will be Rahane's deputy.
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.
'Without a team nothing can happen, it takes team work or team effort to win matches.' 'Individuals can perform significantly in helping the team win, but if the rest of the guys don't chip in, there is not much an individual can do.'
Cheteshwar Pujara is set to play his 100th Test match when India take on Australia for the 2nd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
At stumps on Day 3, India were 125/3 in their second innings to extend their lead to 257 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara (50 not out) hitting a gutsy half-century.
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."
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.
India captain Virat Kohli described Cheteshwar Pujara as priceless.
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.
England's bowlers have been left frustrated and clueless by Cheteshwar Pujara's brilliant batting.
Indian players are gearing up themselves at the Holkar Cricket Stadium for the pink ball Test match against Bangladesh.
Pujara termed Melbourne hundred as an 'important knock' while rating the Adelaide ton as a 'special knock' since it came in a winning cause.
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.
He is short of confidence with self-doubts: Sanjay Manjrekar reflects on Rohit Sharma's recent Test form
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.
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.
Pujara has so far scored 521 runs in seven innings with three hundreds at an impressive average of 74.42.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
Steve Smith overtook India's Cheteshwar Pujara to grab the No 3 spot in the ICC rankings
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.
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.
Impressed with Cheteshwar Pujara's performance, English county side Derbyshire is in talks with the batsman to sign him for next year as well but his IPL commitments and a tour of Bangladesh could prove to be the 'stumbling block'.
Pujara admitted that the pitch is extremely difficult to bat on and the runs put on board is good enough to challenge Australia
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.
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.
