Cheteshwar Pujara destroyed Australia’s chances in the series: Virender Sehwag

Such was Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting display on day one of the ongoing fourth Test against that Australia spin spearhead Nathan Lyon ended up asking him whether he was still not bored. The knock only extended Pujara’s dominating displays this series where he left the hosts hopeless with a string of dodgy displays. The series started on a perfect note for Pujara as he scored 123 in the Adelaide Test.

Following his twin failures in Perth, he scored yet another ton in Melbourne to star in another overseas win as India crushed the hosts by 137 runs to go 2-1 in the series. But Pujara had saved his best for the last Test. The Sydney Cricket Ground witnessed one of the best knocks by an overseas batsman in Australia as the Indian No.3 played a monumental knock of 193. His marathon innings came off 373 balls has now firmly put India in the driver’s seat.

The heroic effort definitely deserved a grand finish but Pujara missed a well-deserved double-ton by just 7 runs. It, however, does not undermine the brilliance of this knock. Pujara received a rousing reception from his teammates, opponents as well as the fans when he walked off the field with his head held high.

Sehwag heaps praise on Pujara

Former India opener Virender Sehwag was quick to react after Pujara’s epic came to an end in Sydney. The legendary batsman, in his usual manner, posted a humorous tweet as he lauded his latest knock.

“Chitt ke Ishwar, another name for Lord Shiva – Cheteshwar Pujara. Destroyed Australia’s chances in the series, most number of balls batted by an Indian in a series against Australia. Outstanding 193, memorable knock,” he wrote.

Chitt ke Ishwar, another name for Lord Shiva – Cheteshwar Pujara.
Destroyed Australia’s chances in the series, most number of balls batted by an Indian in a series against Australia. Outstanding 193, memorable knock pic.twitter.com/jEcTWhs7kQ

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 4, 2019

Meanwhile, during the course of the innings, he also achieved a couple of personal milestones. Pujara became just the third India after Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar to score three or more centuries in a series in Australia. He also joined the elite list of Indians to have faced more than 1,000 balls in a single series in Australia.

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