Ranji Trophy – Cheteshwar Pujara flattens Jharkhand with report seventeenth double-hundred
Cheteshwar Pujara has scored his seventeenth double-century in first-class cricket, within the opening spherical of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, in opposition to Jharkhand. Batting in a single day on 157, Pujara went previous 200 within the first session of the third day and was unbeaten on 236 at lunch. Saurashtra have been 566 for 4 on the break, with an enormous lead of 424.Pujara is now degree with Herbert Sutcliffe and Mark Ramprakash on17 first-class doubles and behind Don Bradman (37), Wally Hammond (36) and Patsy Hendren (22) total. It was Pujara’s eighth double-hundred within the Ranji Trophy, the place he’s second on the record behind solely Paras Dogra’s 9.
Pujara additionally has three first-class triple-centuries, the final of which got here in opposition to West Indies A in October 2013.
Pujara will hope his newest double places him in sturdy rivalry for the five-Check sequence in opposition to England beginning on January 25 in Hyderabad. Pujara final performed a Check in June, the WTC ultimate in opposition to Australia at The Oval, during which he scored 14 and 27 as India went down by 209 runs.
India have since performed two Check sequence of two video games every, within the West Indies in July 2023 and just lately in South Africa. Shubman Gill dropped all the way down to No. 3 in all these Assessments with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the batting.
Pujara, in the meantime, performed county cricket for Sussex, the Irani Cup (the annual first-class match that includes the Ranji Trophy champions vs the Remainder of India) and the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, however with out spectacular returns until now.
He’ll in all probability play at the very least yet one more spherical of Ranji video games – in opposition to Haryana at dwelling from January 12 to fifteen – earlier than the India squad announcement for the England Assessments. Saurashtra’s third-round fixture is in opposition to Vidarbha from January 19 to 22.
