Ranji Trophy Final: After fever, Cheteshwar Pujara down with back problem

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Cheteshwar Pujara, who overcame a bout of illness to play a vital knock for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy final against Bengal, is now down with a back issue and only will bat in the second innings if required.

Pujara did not take the field on day three after pulling a back muscle during warm-up as Bengal reached 134/3 in their first innings at close of play, trailing Saurashtra by 291 runs.

"Pujara pulled his back while warm-up. He then went to the hospital for a scan. He will only bat if required," Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah told PTI.

Pujara and Arpit Vasavada had batted together for five hours on day two to lay the foundation for a formidable 425.

On the opening day, Pujara got retired hurt due to fever, days after his return from New Zealand.