After a month and half of topsy-turvy ride, eight teams have managed to steer themselves clear of other 24 contenders to enter the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals.
Veteran opener Virender Sehwag was dropped from the Indian squad for the first three One-Day Internationals against England, starting in Rajkot on January 11.
Captain Alastair Cook and Haseeb Hameed may have frustrated the Indians with their dogged defence on Day 4 but Cheteshwar Pujara says it will be extremely tough for England to bat through the fifth and final of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Impressed with his captaincy at the ODI World Cup, former captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday threw his weight behind Rohit Sharma, saying he should lead India at least till the T20 World Cup in June next year.
He might have scored a century as opener in the last Test that India played but Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday said he was willing to bat at any position he is asked to by the team's think-tank in the opening game against South Africa starting November 5 in Mohali.
Saurashtra were best chasers during the knockout stage but their reliable batsmen came a cropper in the most-important clash.
West Zone produced a clinical all-round performance to score a comprehensive 133-run victory over North Zone in the final and win their third successive Deodhar Trophy in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Riding on Kedar Devdhar's 94 and skipper Cheteshwar Pujara's patient half-century, West Zone posted a challenging 281 for 3 in 50 overs. Spinners Arpit Vasavada (3-20) and Akshar Patel (2-23) then emerged the pick of the bowlers as North Zone were bundled out for 148 in 37.1 overs at the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
India's swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Tuesday jumped eight places to a career-best 22 following his impressive show in a lost cause in the first Test against South Africa but Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara slipped in the ICC ranking ladder.
India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has been issued a British work permit and is set to join Derbyshire County Cricket Club this week for the remainder of the English County Championship.
Arvind Pujara, in conversation with Haresh Pandya, discusses the rise of his son, Indian cricket's new star Cheteshwar.
Sunil Gavaskar believes switching from the T20 mode in the IPL to Test cricket will be the biggest challenge for the Indian players when they take on Australia.
Cheteshwar Pujara continued good start to his Test career, scoring a double century against England on day two of the first Test in Ahmedabad, on Friday.
Middle order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara of Saurashtra and in-form Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan were included in the Mumbai 'A' squad to play against England team in the visitors' second warm-up game at the D Y Patil Stadium here from November 3-5.
Playing under the inevitable shadow of the now-retired Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli handled both the Kiwis and weight of expectations well in the first Test, says Haresh Pandya.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia played in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Cheteshwar Pujara struck an unbeaten 79 as Indian batsmen gave a far better account of themselves to keep the hosts afloat by taking a 126-run lead.
India's biggest problem on the ongoing tour of England, says Harish Kotian, is the poor run of Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.
Ravichandran Ashwin revealed how he was left in tears after his wife Prithi broke out the news of mother's hospitalisation.
Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara struck his second unbeaten century in as many days while Praveen Kumar blasted his way to a 26-ball 53 as India 'B' posted a 21-run win over Bengal to set up a title clash with India 'A' in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in Rajkot on Monday.
Gill said his team has learnt plenty from the disappointing defeat against the Kiwis.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin are the two Indian short-listed for top honours at the LG ICC Awards 2013. The duo are among the six nominated for the 'ICC Test Cricketer of the Year'. Who has the better chance? Tell us!
Looking to cement his place in India's One-day cricket team, batsman Cheteshwar Pujara said he would like to open the innings in the limited-overs' format.
'We are No 1 in the world, we played like the No 1 team in the world.' 'It is not just about being No 1 for the season. Whatever matches we play in the future we want to maintain that.'
Cheteshwar Pujara took a giant stride towards Test breakthrough as he led India 'A' to a thrilling two-wicket win with an unbeaten 96-run knock on the fourth and final day of the first unofficial cricket Test against the West Indies 'A' in Bridgetown.
Former cricketers Chetan Chauhan and Maninder Singh tell Manu Shankar it's time for India to look beyond the struggling Ishant Sharma, and that Gautam Gambhir and Cheteshewar Pujara are best equipped for the conditions in New Zealand.
The Meteorological (MeT) department of the UK has predicted a 30 per cent chance of precipitation during the afternoon,
Cheteshwar Pujara registered his maiden double hundred as India declared their first innings on 521 for 8 on Day 2 of the first Test against England, at Motera, on Friday. The 24-yar-old Rajkot-born batsman was unbeaten on 206, having batted for a marathon eight hours. Rajneesh Gupta lists the batsmen who have the most runs in their first Test against England.
With his tight technique and a cool temperament, Cheteshwar Pujara has an assuring presence at the crease, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said in praise of the young batsman, who rescued India with his century.
Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara's well-made 73 went in vain as India A succumbed to a five-wicket defeat against England Lions in the Triangular series at Grace Road, Leicester.
An unbroken second-wicket century stand between Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara put India in command on a curtailed opening day in the second Test against South Africa in Durban, on Thursday. Bad light forced play to be called off early, with India sitting pretty on 181 for 1 in 61 overs after electing to bat first.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma hit hundreds, but it was batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar who stole the limelight with a majestic 74 in his farewell match as India took a firm grip of the second Test against the West Indies, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Friday. When stumps were drawn on Day 2, the home side had the West Indies tottering at 43 for 3 in the second innings.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final matches played on Sunday.
Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara continued his good form with the bat as he and Robin Uthappa helped Saurashtra crush Punjab by eight wickets.
Saurashtra's middle-order batter Sheldon Jackson followed in senior teammate Cheteshwar Pujara's footsteps, completing his century on day two of their Ranji Trophy Group A tie against Rajasthan to guide the defending champions to a 300-plus total in Jaipur on Saturday.
Poor batting was at the heart of the debacle.
'It was during Covid that Ashwin realised that family can also be a part of his life. So he expanded a little bit to give us space which gave him more happiness and stability to deal with a lot of things on the field. That is why he has had a detached attachment over the last few years.'
Led by the in-form Cheteshwar Pujara, India 'A' will eye revenge for the ODI series loss when they take on a confident West Indies 'A' in the unofficial three-Test series, starting at the Gangotri Glades, in Mysore, on Wednesday.
Known for his sound technique and insatiable appetite for runs, Cheteshwar Pujara believes he has what it takes to succeed Rahul Dravid at the crucial number three position in India's Test side and says comparison with his childhood idol acts as a "morale-booster".
Cheteshwar Pujara made 49 and 43 in his two innings as Saurashtra lost to Haryana by four wickets.
'As an individual I don't have to rate myself. I have already performed in Test cricket,' says India's latest batting sensation Cheteshwar Pujara. Harish Kotian reports.
