IND vs AUS 2nd Test: Cheteshwar Pujara, in his own right is a Test batting legend and there are no doubts about that. Pujara and Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a beautiful love affair and he has played some memorable knocks in the history of the IND vs AUS series since his debut in 2010. When the 2nd Border-Gavaskar Test match starts on February 17, 2023, in Delhi, India's number 3 Cheteshwar Pujara will accomplish a massive feat. Pujara will become the 13th player to represent India in 100 Tests.
This is monumental in any cricketer's career and an occasion to preserve for the rest of their lives. Pujara has been playing for India for 13 years now and he is certainly a modern-day legend. Pujara only plays the red-ball format and with everything innings, he has justified his place in the team and his prowess with the bat. Pujara also said that he rates his 56 runs innings at Gabba in the 2020-21 edition of the Border Gavaskar Trophy very highly. The right-handed batter also named Australia, England, and New Zealand as the most challenging oppositions that he has ever faced. He also addressed India's possibility of playing in the World Test Championship 2023 final and gave a massive statement.
Ahead of the 2nd IND vs AUS Test match, Pujara said:
My father has played a very important role in my career. He is someone who has coached me since my childhood. He is very excited about the fact that I am playing my 100th Test match for India. He is going to be in the stadium tomorrow. There is a lot to achieve. I am very excited to play my 100th Test match but I don't want to forget the fact that we are playing an important series. Hopefully, we win two Test matches and qualify for the WTC 2023 finals and my dream is to win that mace for the country.
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Pujara also opened up on the challenges of playing just one format
If we look at the current Test schedule, we play 9 matches in one year on average. It is difficult as we play one series and go back home being one format cricketer. Things tend to become even more difficult if we do not play any first-class games in between, we lose touch. The most difficult part is to keep on training though you are playing for a limited time. I felt that the lockdown was a challenging time as we did not have any cricket.
Cheteshwar Pujara debuted for India on October 9, 2010, against Australia at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. To this date, Pujara has played 99 Test matches and has scored 7021 runs at an average of 44.16. The southpaw has faced 15797 Test deliveries so far. Pujara has 19 Test hundreds, 3 Test double hundreds, and 34 Test fifties to his name.
