Cheteshwar Pujara blasts breezy century for Sussex against Northamptonshire

India and Sussex seasoned batter Cheteshwar Pujara displayed his magnificent white-ball skills as he slammed a breezy century during a match against Northamptonshire on Sunday, August 6, in the One-Day Cup.

Despite enduring early blows in the form of Tom Alsop and skipper Tom Haines, Pujara’s solid knock proved to be the backbone for Sussex’s innings as he remained unbeaten in his 119-ball 106. Though Pujara has not been a regular face in the white-ball format for team India, his disciplined batting performance steered the side to score 240 runs in 45 overs in a rain-shortened match.

Pujara’s stellar knock included four fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 89.07. In the process, the 35-year-old notched up his 15^th century and has accumulated 5383 runs in 119 matches in List-A cricket.

Great to have you back, @cheteshwar1! 🙌

Century 💯 pic.twitter.com/k7SfSu59si

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) August 6, 2023

The veteran batter last played for team India in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final against Australia. However, he failed to contribute vital knocks as he compiled dismal scores of 14 and 27 runs, respectively.

Despite this, Pujara’s knock was not enough to help his side get to the finish line. During the run-chase, Prithvi Shaw began on a positive note as he got four boundaries in his innings of 26 runs off 17 balls. However, it was Bradley Currie who drew curtains on his innings which helped Sussex take momentary control of the contest.

That said, a spirited performance by the lower middle order helped Northamptonshire claw their way back into the contest. Sam Whiteman, skipper Lewis McManus, and Tom Taylor compiled scores of 30, 36, and 42* runs, respectively.

With this, Northamptonshire narrowly won the contest by three wickets and eight balls to spare. Sussex will look to get back to winning ways as they face Derbyshire on Wednesday, August 9, at the County Ground in Derby.