Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has praised Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of their 100th Test, which begins against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Friday, February 17. Calling Pujara’s achievement a great one, Dravid attributed the batsman’s success to his skill and dedication.
Having made his debut against the Australians in Bengaluru in 2010, Pujara has become a key member of the Test squad. In 99 matches, he has 7021 runs to his name at an average of 44.15, with 19 hundreds and 34 fifties to his name.
Incidentally, the 35-year-old replaced Dravid as India’s No.3 batsman in the Test squad and is often referred to as the ‘new wall’ of Indian cricket. At a press conference on Wednesday, February 15, the head coach was asked for his opinion on the Pujara trip. He commented:
“It is a great achievement. You need talent to get to this level. But there are many other things. Playing 100 Tests is a reflection of your longevity. There’s a lot about him: his fitness, resilience, ability to handle success, failure. When you play 100 Tests, it can’t happen that you haven’t seen ups and downs.
“You have to overcome the ups and downs. He is asked various questions, on and off the field. You need at least 10 years to play 100 Trials. What Pujara has done in the last 13 or 14 years is a big thing. It’s a tribute to his ability, obviously, but to a lot of other things.”
Pujara was the Player of the Series as India beat Australia in Australia for the first time in a Test series in 2018-19. He was the run leader with 521 runs in seven innings at an average of 74.42, at 315.
“We are happy to celebrate this moment with him” – Dravid in the 100th Pujara test
Describing Pujara as a very popular member of the Indian team, Dravid added that all the players are very happy to celebrate the big moment with him. The head coach explained:
“He is a very popular player in the team, so everyone is happy to see him play 100 Tests. Let’s hope that not only in this test match, but also in the next ones, he will continue to perform really well as he has been doing.”
Praising the veteran hitter, Dravid concluded:
“In the last decade he has played some very important shots for the country to win games and series for the country. He has been a very important player on the team for the last 13-14 years. We are happy to celebrate this moment with him.”
Cheteshwar Pujara in Test Cricket: Matches – 99. Runs – 7,021. Average – 44.16. Hundreds – 19. Fifties – 34.- Pujara will play its 100th test in Delhi. What an achievement, one of India’s best in Tests! https://t.co/V9IJQxfTfU
Pujara was dismissed for 7 in the first Test against Australia in Nagpur even as India clinched the game for one innings and 132 runs.
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