As Cheteshwar Pujara plays a landmark Test, Rajneesh Gupta salutes the formnidable batsman's career thus far, in numbers.
Cheteshwar Pujara, India's most consistent batsman, will complete a landmark 50 Tests in Colombo, on Thursday, August 3.
After 49 Tests, Pujara has an impressive 3,966 runs at an average of 52, with 12 centuries and 15 half-centuries.
His record against Australia and England is good with 1,000-plus runs against them. South Africa is the only nation when his average dips under the 40-mark.
A comparison of Pujara's home and away record throws an interesting picture: He averages a mighty 63 at home, but outside India his average takes a huge dip to 36, something he will hope to correct with India scheduled to play Tests away from home in the next couple of years.
After 49 Tests, his run tally is fourth among Indian batsmen after Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag at this stage in their careers.
He has a better record than Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman and Virat Kohli at this stage in their careers.
Pujara's Test career, in numbers:
Performance against each country:
| Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100 | 50 | 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v Australia | 12 | 1,101 | 204 | 55.05 | 48.22 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| v England | 14 | 1,061 | 206* | 46.13 | 48.13 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| v New Zealand | 7 | 649 | 159 | 54.08 | 47.96 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| v South Africa | 8 | 513 | 153 | 39.46 | 45.07 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| v Sri Lanka | 2 | 313 | 153 | 104.33 | 52.96 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| v the West Indies | 5 | 192 | 113 | 48.00 | 44.75 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| v Bangladesh | 1 | 137 | 83 | 137.00 | 58.29 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 49 | 3,966 | 206* | 52.18 | 48.17 | 12 | 15 | 3 |
Performance in each country:
| Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100 | 50 | 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in India | 30 | 2,797 | 206* | 63.56 | 50.51 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
| in Sri Lanka | 2 | 313 | 153 | 104.33 | 52.96 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| in South Africa | 4 | 311 | 153 | 44.42 | 43.49 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| in England | 5 | 222 | 55 | 22.20 | 43.52 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| in Australia | 3 | 201 | 73 | 33.50 | 42.67 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| in the West Indies | 3 | 62 | 46 | 31.00 | 27.43 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| in New Zealand | 2 | 60 | 23 | 15.00 | 32.78 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Home | 30 | 2,797 | 206* | 63.56 | 50.51 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
| Away | 19 | 1,169 | 153 | 36.53 | 43.36 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Performance in each series:
| Series | Vs | In | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-2011 | Australia | India | 1 | 76 | 72 | 38.00 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-2011 | South Africa | South Africa | 2 | 31 | 19 | 10.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | New Zealand | India | 2 | 216 | 159 | 72.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-2013 | England | India | 4 | 438 | 206* | 87.60 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-2013 | Australia | India | 4 | 419 | 204 | 83.80 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2013-2014 | West Indies | India | 2 | 130 | 113 | 65.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013-2014 | South Africa | South Africa | 2 | 280 | 153 | 70.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013-2014 | New Zealand | New Zealand | 2 | 60 | 23 | 15.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | England | England | 5 | 222 | 55 | 22.20 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014-2015 | Australia | Australia | 3 | 201 | 73 | 33.50 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | 1 | 145 | 145* | 145.00 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015-2016 | South Africa | India | 4 | 202 | 77 | 33.67 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | West Indies | West Indies | 3 | 62 | 46 | 31.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-2017 | New Zealand | India | 3 | 373 | 101* | 74.60 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016-2017 | England | India | 5 | 401 | 124 | 50.13 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016-2017 | Bangladesh | Ind | 1 | 137 | 83 | 137.00 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016-2017 | Australia | India | 4 | 405 | 202 | 57.86 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2017 | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | 1 | 168 | 153 | 84.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 49 | 3,966 | 206* | 52.18 | 12 | 15 | 3 |
Performance in each calendar year:
The graph shows how Pujara has maintained his consistent form in recent years, twice passing the 800 run mark, in 2013 and 2016.
He has already scored more than 700 runs so far this year.
| Year | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rrate | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 | 105 | 72 | 26.25 | 54.40 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | 14.28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 6 | 654 | 206* | 81.75 | 47.94 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 8 | 829 | 204 | 75.36 | 56.24 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | 10 | 483 | 73 | 24.15 | 41.49 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2015 | 5 | 347 | 145* | 49.57 | 48.59 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | 11 | 836 | 124 | 55.73 | 48.43 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 | 710 | 202 | 71.00 | 44.82 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Performance under each captain:
| Mts | Runs | Hs | Avg | SR | 100 | 50 | 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M S Dhoni | 26 | 1,979 | 206* | 47.11 | 49.03 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Virat Kohli | 22 | 1,930 | 202 | 60.31 | 47.76 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 1 | 57 | 57 | 28.50 | 36.53 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Performance in each innings:
| Matches | Runs | Highest Scvore | Average | Strike Rate | 100 | 50 | 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st innings | 24 | 1,507 | 206* | 68.50 | 45.76 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 2nd innings | 24 | 1,163 | 204 | 50.56 | 47.78 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 3rd innings | 21 | 859 | 153 | 45.21 | 50.20 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 4th innings | 16 | 437 | 82* | 36.41 | 54.96 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Team's 1st innings | 48 | 2,670 | 206* | 59.33 | 46.62 | 10 | 8 | 1 |
| Team's 2nd innings | 37 | 1,296 | 153 | 41.80 | 51.71 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
Performance in won/lost/drawn Tests:
| Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100 | 50 | 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | 28 | 2,654 | 206* | 63.19 | 51.52 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
| Lost | 10 | 541 | 135 | 27.05 | 42.19 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Drawn | 11 | 771 | 202 | 55.07 | 42.83 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Batting at each position:
| Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100 | 50 | 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st position | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2nd position | 5 | 348 | 145* | 174.00 | 62.25 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 3rd position | 71 | 3,534 | 206* | 52.74 | 47.72 | 11 | 13 | 2 |
| 4th position | 1 | 28 | 28 | 28.00 | 35.44 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5th position | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4.00 | 133.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6th position | 4 | 52 | 21 | 13.00 | 28.10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mode of dismissals:
| How Out | Times | % |
|---|---|---|
| caught fielder | 26 | 34.21 |
| caught wicket-keeper | 17 | 22.37 |
| bowled | 17 | 22.37 |
| lbw | 11 | 14.47 |
| run out | 4 | 5.26 |
| stumped | 1 | 1.32 |
Breakdown of scores:
| Scores | Outs | Not outs |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1-9 | 12 | 1 |
| 10-19 | 15 | 0 |
| 20-29 | 12 | 0 |
| 30-39 | 5 | 0 |
| 40-49 | 7 | 1 |
| 50-59 | 4 | 1 |
| 60-69 | 1 | 0 |
| 70-79 | 5 | 0 |
| 80-89 | 2 | 1 |
| 90-99 | 1 | 0 |
| 100+ | 9 | 3 |
| TOTAL | 76 | 7 |
Performance against Pacers/Spinners"
| Balls faced | Runs scored | Dismissals | Average | Strike Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacers | 4,345 | 2,016 | 41 | 49.17 | 46.39 |
| Spinners | 3,888 | 1,950 | 31 | 62.90 | 50.15 |
Pujara's nemesis (Minimum 3 dismissals):
| Bowler | Balls faced | Runs scored | Dismissals | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Southee | 75 | 18 | 3 | 6.00 | 24.00 |
| Dale Steyn | 206 | 81 | 3 | 27.00 | 39.32 |
| Nathan Lyon | 522 | 232 | 7 | 33.14 | 44.44 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 277 | 103 | 3 | 34.33 | 37.18 |
| Adil Rashid | 174 | 105 | 3 | 35.00 | 60.34 |
| Stuart Broad | 220 | 113 | 3 | 37.66 | 51.36 |
| James Anderson | 402 | 154 | 4 | 38.50 | 38.30 |
| Ben Stokes | 210 | 119 | 3 | 39.66 | 56.66 |
| Graeme Swann | 291 | 136 | 3 | 45.33 | 46.73 |
Pujara's favourite bowlers (Minimum average 50)
| Bowler | Balls faced | Runs scored | Dismissals | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart O'Keefe | 342 | 117 | 1 | 117.00 | 34.21 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 103 | 82 | 0 | 82.00+ | 79.61 |
| Peter Siddle | 144 | 79 | 1 | 79.00 | 54.86 |
| Nuwan Pradeep | 141 | 74 | 1 | 74.00 | 52.48 |
| Rangana Herath | 166 | 70 | 0 | 70.00+ | 42.16 |
| Ish Sodhi | 101 | 65 | 1 | 65.00 | 64.35 |
| Monty Panesar | 204 | 63 | 1 | 63.00 | 30.88 |
| Samit Patel | 133 | 58 | 0 | 58.00+ | 43.60 |
| Jacques Kallis | 89 | 55 | 1 | 55.00 | 61.79 |
| Pat Cummins | 102 | 54 | 0 | 54.00+ | 52.94 |
| Vernon Philander | 172 | 53 | 0 | 53.00+ | 30.81 |
| Trent Boult | 200 | 105 | 2 | 52.50 | 52.50 |
| Shane Shillingford | 71 | 52 | 1 | 52.00 | 73.23 |
| Zafar Ansari | 82 | 52 | 0 | 52.00+ | 63.41 |
| Mitchell Starc | 97 | 50 | 1 | 50.00 | 51.54 |
Batting in each block of 10 Tests:
| M# | Innings | Runs | Average | Highest Score | 100s | 50s | 0s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | 17 | 813 | 58.07 | 206* | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 11-20 | 17 | 930 | 58.13 | 204 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 21-30 | 18 | 583 | 34.29 | 145* | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 31-40 | 16 | 791 | 52.73 | 124 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 41-49 | 15 | 849 | 60.64 | 202 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
Most successful Indian batsmen after first 49 Tests:
| Player | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | 0s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Gavaskar | 91 | 4,713 | 220 | 56.11 | 19 | 21 | 6 |
| Rahul Dravid | 86 | 4,046 | 200* | 52.55 | 9 | 21 | 2 |
| Virender Sehwag | 81 | 4,020 | 309 | 51.54 | 12 | 11 | 8 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 83 | 3,966 | 206* | 52.18 | 12 | 15 | 3 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 88 | 3,734 | 206 | 44.99 | 9 | 19 | 5 |
| Virat Kohli | 84 | 3,643 | 211 | 46.11 | 13 | 12 | 4 |
| Gundappa Viswanath | 90 | 3,557 | 145 | 42.86 | 6 | 24 | 6 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 76 | 3,350 | 179 | 49.26 | 11 | 15 | 4 |
| Murali Vijay | 84 | 3,307 | 167 | 39.84 | 9 | 14 | 5 |
| V V S Laxman | 82 | 3,282 | 281 | 45.58 | 6 | 18 | 6 |
| Mohinder Amarnath | 83 | 3,241 | 120 | 42.64 | 8 | 19 | 11 |
