10 cricketers to bat on all five days of a Test

9. Cheteshwar Pujara – India vs Sri Lanka, 2017

If Virat Kohli is the heart of the Indian Test team, then Cheteshwar Pujara is the spine of the team. Stoic, resilience, patience are the characteristics associated with India’s number three, he has displayed the same on several occasions. In a Test match against neighbours Sri Lanka– which has been a regular feature in the past decade and a half – Pujara became the third Indian to bat on all the five days of a Test.

On a green, spicy pitch and with overcast conditions, Sri Lankan captain, Dinesh Chandimal elected to bowl first. The Lankan pacers rolled over the Indian batting line-up for bowled them out for 172 with their express pace. There were several rain interruptions on day one and day two during India’s innings and during Pujara’s half-century, spread across three days.

Sri Lanka scored 294 in their first innings. An early Indian wicket meant Pujara had to come out to bat by the end of day four. He continued his innings overnight on day five and scored 22 runs. India declared their innings at 352/8 to have a chance of winning. Sri Lankan batters somehow managed to bat out the time and escaped with a draw with only three wickets left.