Cheteshwar Pujara was at it again!
The 25-year-old, resuming on 162, proceeded to complete a well-deserved double hundred.
It was the second double hundred of his fledgling career, having scored an unbeaten 206 against England in the opening Test at Motera last November -- a knock that ensured India a win and earned him the player of the match honours.
En route to the double century, the young batsman from Saurashtra achieved another landmark. Needing 25 more at the start of the day to reach 1000 Test runs, Pujara became the joint-quickest Indian, along with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, to achieve the feat in terms of number of Test played (11 each).
Besides, he put on a record 370 runs for the second wicket with Murali Vijay (167), the fourth-highest partnership for India ever.
(For the record, the previous Indian record for the highest second-wicket partnership was held by Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar, who put on 344 against West Indies at the Wankhede in 1978.)
Pujara was eventually dismissed for 204 after being caught by Xavier Doherty at long leg, off James Pattinson. Pujara’s 341-ball innings inclusive of 30 boundaries and a six.
Photograph: BCCI
