Ranji Trophy: Cheteshwar Pujara scripts records with 18th FC double-hundred
Indian batting talisman Cheteshwar Pujara has added another feather to his illustrious cap by scoring his 18th First-Class double-century. Pujara achieved the milestone against Chhattisgarh in the second-round match of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. The century is Pujara's 25th in the Ranji Trophy. It was also his 66th ton in the FC format as he also surpassed 21,000 FC runs during his stay.
Pujara's century: A response to Chhattisgarh's impressive score
Pujara's century came as a reply to Chhattisgarh's phenomenal first-innings total of 578/7. The Saurashtra batter brought up the three-figure mark in 197 balls, showcasing his grit and class. Meanwhile, he brought up his double-hundred in the final session of Day 3 as Saurashtra went past 400. Pujara was involved in century stands with Sheldon Jackson (62) and Arpit Vasavada (73).
Pujara joins these names
Pujara now owns the fourth-most double-tons in FC cricket (18). He broke the tie with England duo of Herbert Sutcliffe and Mark Ramprakash. Australian legend Donald Bradman tops the list with 37 double-tons. Wally Hammond (36) of England holds the second place. England's Elias Henry Hendren (22) is the only other batter with more double-tons than Pujara.
Pujara crosses 21,000 First-Class runs
Apart from his double-century, Pujara also crossed the landmark of 21,000 First-Class runs during his knock against Chhattisgarh. He became the fourth Indian to achieve the feat after Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid. Gavaskar leads the list with a remarkable 25,834 runs followed by Tendulkar (25,396) and Dravid (23,794).
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Pujara now has the third-most FC tons by an Indian. He is now only two centuries away from Dravid, who finished his career with 68 First-Class hundreds. Gavaskar and Tendulkar top the chart with a staggering 81 FC centuries each.
Pujara's impressive performance in 2024
Pujara's 2024 has been remarkable, with six tons divided between Saurashtra and his County Championship stint with Sussex. Of Pujara's 66 First-Class centuries, 19 came for India in Test matches. Most of his tons came during his phenomenal run in domestic cricket. Despite these recent feats, Pujara appears to be out of the race for India's Test team.
A look at his sensational FC numbers
Playing his 273rd First-Class match, Pujara has raced past 21, 100 runs at an average above 51. Apart from 66 centuries, he has also smoked 80 fifties in this format. 7,195 runs have come for India from 103 Tests at 43.60. He has clobbered 19 centuries and 35 fifties in Indian whites. He last featured for India against Australia in 2023 in the WTC final.
