Cheteshwar Pujara Strikes Double Century on Sussex Debut

Pujara Strikes Double Century on Sussex Debut
Pujara Strikes Double Century on Sussex Debut(Image: Sussex CCC)

Pujara Strikes Double Century on Sussex Debut: Indian senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara with his unbeaten double century helps Sussex to draw their County Championship Division two match against Derbyshire.

Pujara Strikes Double Century on Sussex Debut

Making his debut for Sussex, Pujara was dismissed for six after facing 15 balls in his first innings on the second day as his team folded for 174 in 56.3 overs in reply to Derbyshire’s 505.

In the second innings, Pujara scored an impressive 201 runs off 387 deliveries which includes 23 boundaries in his 467-minutes knock.

He shared a 351-run partnership with skipper Tom Haines (243) for the third wicket to bail out Sussex, who were 513 for three in 176.1 overs when the match ended in a draw.

Electing to bat, Derbyshire had posted 505/8 declared, riding on a 239 by opener Shan Masood and 111 by Wayne Madsen. They then bundled out Susses for 174 in 56.3 overs in their first innings with Sam Conners (3/47), Nick Polls (3/43) and Anuj Dal (2/28) rattling them.

Pujara was out for 6 runs in the first innings. Trailing by 331 runs, Sussex rode on double centuries by Pujara and Haines to reach 513/3, 180 runs ahead as the match ended in a draw at County Ground, Derby.

Notably, the veteran batter was dropped from the Virat Kohli-led Test team following the series in South Africa. Ajinkya Rahane, too, was ignored for the home series against Sri Lanka.

Overall, Pujara has been one of the most consistent run-scorers for Team India in the longest form. He has scored 6,713 runs in 162 innings at a worthy average of 43.88, including 3 double tons, 18 centuries, and 32 half-centuries, and has a top score of an unbeaten 206.

As for FC, he has amassed 17,155 in 376 at 51.05, with 51 tons and 70 50s, including the best knock of 352.