India vs Australia: How Cheteshwar Pujara fares against Nathan Lyon
India are gearing up to take on Australia in the all-important four-match Border-Gavaskar series, starting February 9. Stakes are incredibly high as India need at least a 2-0 win to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final. Top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara would be pivotal for India's batting. Interestingly, Australia's Nathan Lyon has made Pujara his bunny in the format. Here are the stats.
Lyon has dismissed Pujara 10 times
Lyon has dismissed Pujara the second-most number of times (10) in Test cricket, only behind James Anderson (13). The former, however, has the most dismissals against Pujara among spinners. Besides, Pujara has racked up 521 runs off 1,158 balls against Lyon in the format. The Indian batter has a strike rate of 44.99 and an average of 52.10 against Lyon.
Lyon has dismissed Pujara five times in India
Pujara has scored 176 runs off 392 balls against Lyon in Test cricket in India. Lyon has uprooted Pujara five times in the nation (2013: 2, 2017: 3). The tally includes 269 dot balls. Pujara averages 35.2 against Lyon in Tests at home.
Spinners have dismissed Pujara 49 times
Pujara has fallen to spinners 49 times in Test cricket. The Indian batter averages 67.18 against spinners, having slammed 3,292 runs off 6,383 balls. Out of these, Pujara has blocked 4,535 balls.
His numbers against Australia
Against Australia, Pujara has hoarded 1,893 runs in 20 Tests. He averages a stellar 54.08. He has notched five hundreds and 10 half-centuries (HS: 204). At home, he averages a prolific 64.28. He has tallied 900 runs in nine Tests (100s: 2, 50s: 5). Pujara struck 405 runs in the 2017 series, averaging 57.85. He amassed 419 runs in the 2013 series at 83.80.
Lyon has over 450 Test wickets
Last year, Lyon became just the second off-spinner after legend Muttiah Muralitharan to have entered the 450-wicket club in Test cricket. He achieved the feat during the Adelaide Test against the West Indies. Overall, Lyon is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in the format with 460 scalps from 115 matches. He had the joint-most Test wickets in 2022 with Kagiso Rabada (47).
Pujara played an invaluable role in series wins Down Under
Pujara topped the batting charts in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He smacked 521 runs at 74.43 (100s: 3). Notably, India beat Australia 2-1 to clinch their maiden series win in the nation. In 2020-21, Pujara tallied 271 runs at 33.88, including a match-winning 56 in the final Test at the Gabba. India stamped a historic 2-1 series win after a forgettable show in Adelaide.
