Cheteshwar Pujara
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Chintu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right arm Leg spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | AS Pujara (father), BS Pujara (uncle) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Only Test (cap 266) | 9 October 2010 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008-2010 | Kolkata Knight Riders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–present | Saurashtra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 25 December 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara (born 25 January 1988, in Rajkot, Gujarat) is an Indian Test cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman. Pujara has the distinction of hitting three triple centuries within a span of one month, although only the last of these was in a first-class match. In December 2008, the BCCI awarded him a D-grade national contract. In the Indian Premier League, he plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Pujara captained the India A team on a tour to England during the 2010 northern hemisphere summer and was the most prolific scorer on that tour. He is currently competing with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Subramaniam Badrinath, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary for a spot in the middle order of the Indian Test team. He has scored 3 triple centuries prior to 2009.
Test debut
Pujara was selected for the Indian squad for the home Test series (2-match series) against Australia in 2010, replacing Yuvraj Singh who has been struggling with form and weight issues. He made his debut in the Second Test of the series on October 9, 2010 at Bangalore after both Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman were down with injuries sustained in the First Test. While Laxman was off the field injured in the First Test, Pujara took two catches at silly point as a substitute. Pujara's first Test innings was short however as he scored four runs but was adjudged leg before wicket to Mitchell Johnson on the third ball he faced.
In the second innings, with India needing 207 to win, he made 72 before being bowled by an arm ball from Nathan Hauritz. In the second innings, Pujara was sent up the order at number three in place of Rahul Dravid in a tactical change as India went on to win the test by seven wickets. October 9, the start of his Test debut, was the fifth anniversary of his mother's death due to cancer.