Cheteshwar Pujara vs Rahul Dravid after 100 Tests: Key stats
The recently concluded India versus Australia second Test marked Cheteshwar Pujara's 100th appearance in the format. He became the 13th Indian and 75th player overall to accomplish the massive landmark. Pujara has been a cornerstone of India's Test batting line-up for over a decade. Notably, Pujara succeeded the legendary Rahul Dravid as India's number-three Test batter. Here we compare their stats after 100 Tests.
Why does this story matter?
Dravid, who holds the distinction of facing the most deliveries (31,258) in Tests, was hailed as 'The Wall.' His rock-solid defense gave hard times to the best of bowlers. When Dravid retired from international cricket in 2012, Pujara emerged as his successor in Tests. His composure and patience is often compared with that of Dravid, who is also India's current head coach.
Their numbers after 100 Tests
Pujara finished his 100th Test with 7,052 runs at an average of 44.08. As per ESPNcricinfo, Dravid was far ahead of Pujara at this stage as he finished 100 Tests with 8,553 runs at 57.79. West Indies' Brian Lara (8,916) Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (8,651) and Pakistan's Younis Khan (8,640) are the only ones with more Test runs after 100 Tests.
Who has more tons and fifties?
Pujara currently boasts 34 fifties and 19 tons in whites. Three of his tons were converted into double centuries (Highest score: 206* vs England in 2012). Meanwhile, Dravid at this point had 22 tons and 42 fifties. All of his five Test double-tons came before his 100th match (Highest score: 270 vs Pakistan in 2004).
Home and away record after 100 Tests
Pujara has played 49 home Tests in which he has accumulated 3,737 runs at 53.38. In away and neutral venues combined, he has racked up 3,315 runs at 36.83. Meanwhile, 47 of Dravid's first 100 Tests came at home in which he smoked 3,761 at 51.52. His away record (including neutral venues) was even more spectacular as he boasted 4,792 runs at 63.89.
Pujara is all about grit and character
Pujara has the distinction of facing 500-plus (525 vs Australia in 2017) deliveries in a single Test innings. The 34-year-old is the only Indian player to do so. Pujara had spent 1,868 minutes at the crease against Australia in the four-match Test series in 2018/19. It is the third-most by an Indian batter in a Test series.
A look at Dravid's Test career
Dravid retired with 13,288 runs in 164 Tests at 52.31 (100s: 36, 50s: 63). He is still the fourth-highest run-getter in the format. While he faced a total of 31,258 deliveries in his Test career, no other batter has even faced 30,000 balls in the format (registered records). Meanwhile, only four batters have faced more balls than Pujara (15,878) since his Test debut.
Ashwin highlights Pujara's long-term planning
Ravichandran Ashwin, in his recent column for ESPNcricinfo, stated that Pujara's "long-term planning is way ahead of anyone else". "We see he stays in the moment and defends, but in his mind when he is defending Dale Steyn in the first session, he has already planned for JP Duminy after tea. He knows he will get at least two overs from Duminy," he wrote.
India lead the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series 2-0
India beat Australia by six wickets in the second Test to take a 2-0 lead in the fourth-match series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Notably, India have won each of the last three Test series against Australia with a 2-1 scoreline. Meanwhile, Pujara's scores in this series read 7,0 and 31*. He would like to put up a better show in the remaining games.
