Rated highly for his impeccable skills and unmatched determination - Cheteshwar Pujara is the backbone of Indian batting line-up when it comes to cricket's purest format. Since his debut in red ball cricket in 2010 versus Australia, the Rajkot-born batsman as grown leaps and bounds as his career progressed. With his outstanding technique and ability to bat for long hours without losing concentration, Pujara has been a thorn in the flesh of oppositions. With an impressive career average of more than 50 in Test cricket, Pujara is presently rated among the best number three batsmen in the world while playing in whites. Mostly compared with Rahul Dravid for his sheer sense of determination and will power to bat for long hours without breaking any sweat, Pujara has carved a niche for himself in the cricketing world. Despite being picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders in the first edition of Indian Premier League (2008), Pujara never managed to leave a mark in white ball cricket and largely due to his reputation as an exclusive Test player. After a forgettable tour to England in 2014/15, the right-handed batsman spent some extended sessions in English County cirucit with teams - Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. Major teams: India, Derbyshire, India A, India Green, India Under-19s, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Nottinghamshire, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Saurashtra, Saurashtra Under-16s, Saurashtra Under-19s, Yorkshire Playing role: Top-order batsman Batting style: Right-hand bat Bowling style: Legbreak
Read MoreMayank Agarwal continued his record-breaking form in the domestic season as his 79-ball 90 set up the foundation for Karnataka’s 41-run win against Saurashtra in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Tuesday.
The Test batsman had broken the news on January 1 where he took to his Instagram account to upload a picture with his wife.
According to Pujara, the most beneficial aspect will be playing county cricket at Test venues of India's tour, which will give an idea about pitches and conditions.
Buoyed by their big win over Jharkhand on Sunday, Saurashtra bundled out Services for 176 in 48.2 overs before knocking off the small chase in 21.4 overs.
Pujara is returning to Yorkshire for his second stint with the club after turning out during 2015, a County Championship winning year for the club.
Known to follow the footsteps of 'The Wall' Rahul Dravid, Pujara has shown boldness, courage and dedication since his maiden call-up eight years back and since then there has been no holding the swashbuckler back.
Sourav Ganguly said the wicket was "unfair" for the batsmen and International Cricket Council (ICC) should look into the matter.
India were bowled out for 187 but according to Pujara, it was a competitive first innings total.
Already 2-0 down and facing a series whitewash, India lost eight wickets for 142 runs after lunch.
Coach Ravi Shastri assured that the Saurashtra batsman will perform better in the third Test, starting January 24 in Johannesburg.
From greasy hands to suicidal run-outs, we take a look at some of the major reasons which led to India's downfall in the Rainbow nation one more time.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who was run out in both the innings of Centurion Test, has now become the first India player to be run-out twice in a Test.
Pandya's 93 and 2/17 has given India some toehold despite a 142-run lead currently enjoyed by the home team.
Live Cricket Score, India vs South Africa, 1st Test: Catch all the live updates and action from the Day 2 at Newlands, Cape Town. Follow all the latest cricket scores online here.
India lost the series 0-1 on the previous tour of South Africa four years ago but Pujara was amongst the runs alongside Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.
The 29-year-old Rajkot batsman is currently preparing for the three-match Test series against South Africa, starting on January 5 in Cape Town.
Indian Cricket Team shared some of the pictures from the practice session ahead of the first Test, be held in Cape Town from January 5 to 9.
Top-ranked Steve Smith moved closer towards Don Bradman's highest-ever ranking points after a match-winning double-century in the third Ashes Test against England in Perth.
Kohli would be eyeing the chance of reaching the zenith in all three formats since he is the currently holding the numero uno spot in the ODIs and T20Is.
The Indian team, through the past one year, did not need to play much on the fifth day, but Pujara said it was not the reason.
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