New Delhi: Cheteshwar Pujara notched up his 25th hundred in the Ranji Trophy on Monday, October 21. It was Pujara’s 66th ton in first-class cricket as he surpassed the legendary Brian Lara to etch his name in the annals of the game. He achieved the feat during his team Saurashtra’s second-round clash against Chattishgarh in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Pujara brought up his century off 197 balls while batting for Saurashtra in their first innings on Day 4 of their clash against Chhattishgarh at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot. The veteran batter led his team’s response after Chhattishgarh rode on captain Amandeep Khare’s double hundred to post a huge total of 578 runs on the board in their first innings.
With his 66th ton in first-class cricket, Pujara, who is currently running out of favour from the Indian Test team, is 4th on the list of Indian batters with the most centuries in the format. Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar finished their careers with 81 centuries each in first-class cricket and occupy the top spot jointly followed by Rahul Dravid, who notched up 68 first-class tons. Pujara is 3rd with 66 centuries.
Most first-class centuries by Indians:
81 – Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar
68 – Rahul Dravid
66 – Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara also completed 21,000 runs in first-class cricket en route to his hundred against Chhattishgarh in Rajkot on Monday. He is now the 4th on the list of Indian batters with the most runs in first-class cricket behind Tendulkar, Gavaskar and Dravid. Among active players, Pujara’s 66 first-class hundreds is the most by any batter in the world.
Can Cheteshwar Pujara make his comeback for India?
Pujara is arguably one of the best Test batters India has ever produced and was a vital cog in the team’s batting line-up before being sidelined last year. Pujara has been out of the Indian Test squad since the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia last year but has continued to pile on runs in first-class cricket.
In 2024, Pujara has so far smashed six centuries in 16 matches. He did well for Sussex in the County Championship in England before returning to India to play for Saurashtra in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. While he has been in great form, chances of his India comeback are slim considering the team management seemed to have moved on from the senior players and are trying to form the core for the future.
However, with a challenging tour of Australia lined up for the Indian team later this year nothing can be ruled out. Pujara might get recalled in the Test team if India have injury issues in Australia.
Cheteshwar Pujara notched up his 25th century in the Ranji Trophy on Sunday. The Indian batter also crossed 21,000-run mark in his first-class career and surpassed Brian Lara in an elite list. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
