Cheteshwar Pujara's hopes of making it back to the Indian Test team for the tour of Australia received a huge boost as the Saurashtra veteran batter slammed his 18th first-class double century to send a timely reminder to the selectors.
Pujara starred with a magnificent knock of 234 against Chhattisgarh in a high-scoring Ranji Trophy match which finished in a draw at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium, Rajkot, on Monday.
Pujara helped Saurashtra make a strong reply as they put up 478/8 after Chhattisgarh had posted a huge first innings total of 578/7 declared with captain Amandeep Khare scoring an unbeaten 203.
This was Pujara's ninth double hundred in the Ranji Trophy and his 18th overall in first class cricket, propelling him past England's Herbert Sutcliffe and Mark Ramprakash (17 double centuries each) to fourth position on the all-time list of double centuries in first class cricket.
The great Don Bradman leads the list with 37 double centuries in first class cricket, followed by the English duo of Wally Hammond (36) and Patsy Hendren (22).
It marked his 66th hundred in first class cricket, going past West Indian great Brian Lara, while placing him fourth among the Indians after Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, who have 81 centuries each, while Rahul Dravid has 68 tons.
During the course of the innings, Pujara went past the 21,000 run mark in first class cricket. He is the fourth Indian to complete the landmark after batting greats Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
Interestingly, Pujara's fine knock came a day after India suffered a eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of New Zealand in the Bengaluru Test, in which the hosts collapsed for 46 in their first innings. His fine recent run with the bat will surely ensure that he stays in the mix for the Australian tour.
However, the 36-year-old right-hander's comeback might not be so straightforward barring a few injuries considering the selectors' preference for younger middle-order batters.
While young players like Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan have sealed their places in the middle order, K L Rahul's indifferent form could throw Pujara a lifeline for the tour of Australia, where he enjoys a great record with 993 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 47.
Overall, in 25 Tests against Australia, Pujara has accumulated 2,074 runs, averaging 49, with five centuries and 11 fifties.
He last played for India in June last year, during the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia in the UK.
Overall, he has featured in 103 Tests, scoring 7,195 runs at an average of 43, with 19 centuries and 35 fifties.
He played a key role in India's historic win over Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane in January 2021, which helped the visitors claim their second successive Test series Down Under.
But since then his career took a sharp dip. After that he managed just 1,084 runs in 22 Tests, at an average of 29 with just one century which led to his ouster from the Indian team.
Pujara is not the one to give up easily. A master of wearing down the best of attacks in tough conditions, the seasoned batter seems to have regained his batting form as he enjoyed a successful showing for Sussex in the English county season and carried that momentum into the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
