Cheteshwar Pujara slams a ton in Royal London One-Day Cup
India's Cheteshwar Pujara is scoring runs for fun in England's domestic season underway. The Sussex batter whacked a 79-ball 107 against Warwickshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup. The right-hander smashed seven fours and two sixes and struck at over 130. He was instrumental in a quickfire 56-run stand alongside Aristides Karvelas for the seventh wicket. We decode his run.
Why does this story matter?
County cricket revived a down-and-out Pujara's cricketing career after he was dropped post a poor run in the South Africa-India Test series. He has played with a positive mindset ever since. Most notably, Pujara has managed to extend his County form into the limited-over duels. A knock of this caliber showcases that there's plenty left in the tank for the Indian run machine.
Sussex fall short despite a Pujara ton
Warwickshire rallied their way to 310/6 after opting to bat first. Rob Yates (114) and skipper Will Rhodes (76) stood out. The pair added 131 runs for the second wicket. Later, wicket-keeper batter Michael Burgess joined the party, dishing out a cracker 51-ball 58. In response, Sussex paced their innings well but failed to steer home post Pujara's dismissal in the 49th over (306/7).
Pujara blasts Norwell for 22 runs!
Pujara stunned the cricketing fraternity with a 22-run over at the fag end of the chase. He tonked three fours and a six of Liam Norwell in the 47th over. From 66 off 59 deliveries, Pujara raced to 88 off 65 deliveries in a flash.
Runs galore for Pujara in Royal London One-Day Cup 2022
Pujara leads the scoring charts for Sussex in the tournament underway. He has hammered 193 runs across four innings. He averages a terrific 64.33 and has struck at 111.56. On the boundary front, Pujara has belted 13 fours and three sixes. His scores read 9, 63, 14*, and 107. Opener Ali Orr trails him, having amassed 165 runs for Sussex at 41.25.
Pujara averages a phenomenal 54.56 in List A
Pujara marked his List A debut while playing for the West Zone in the 2006 Deodhar Trophy. Since then, the Rajkot-born cricketer has compiled 4,638 runs in 107 fixtures. He averages a superb 54.56, with 12 hundreds and 30 fifties (HS: 158*).
A look at Sussex's position in the points table
Sussex are currently seated sixth in the Group A table. They have mustered two wins and as many losses in four matches played so far (NRR of +0.860). They lost their opening match against Nottinghamshire by 65 runs. They followed with emphatic wins over Gloucestershire and Leicestershire. However, the Pujara-led side fell short by four runs versus Warwickshire. They'll face seventh-placed Surrey on Sunday.
Pujara's herculean run in County Season
Pujara (1,094) is the second-highest run-getter in County Division Two, ranking behind Glamorgan's Sam Northeast (1,127), who slammed a 410* against Leicestershire. His scores in the tournament read: 6, 201*, 109, 12, 203, 16, 170*, 3, 46, 231, 2, 49, and 46*. He has slammed five hundreds, including three double-tons, which is the most by a batter in the ongoing tournament.
