'He needs a Test hundred against good attacks' - Sourav Ganguly urges Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of landmark series

Team India's batting bulwark Cheteshwar Pujara is approaching an illustrious milestone as he is all set to play his 100th Test match in the upcoming series against Australia. Former Indian skipper and the BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly feels it will be a big series for the veteran better who needs a century against the Aussies.

Pujara has over 7000 runs to his name in the 98 matches that he has played thus far. He ended his century drought in the longest format of the game after registering a match-winning century, his fastest, against Bangladesh in December 2022. That is the only century he has had to his name since 2019, which incidentally came against India's next opponents, Australia.

While all the talk has been around Virat Kohli's lean run in red-ball cricket, the Prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly has urged Pujara to prove his mettle with a century against a world-class bowling side. The 35-year-old batting ace will become only the 13th cricketer to reach the landmark of 100 Tests for India, joining an illustrious list of cricketers that features the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, and Rahul Dravid, among others.

"He’s playing his 100th Test in Delhi and that’s a great achievement. He will be the 13th Indian to play 100 Test matches and he totally deserves it. But he also needs to be at his best because after the last three years, even he needs a Test hundred against good attacks. It will be a big series for him," said Ganguly in an interview with Sportstar.

The Saurashtra-born has been a crucial part of the Indian batting order over the last few years, and his temperament with the bat will hold the key for the home side in the upcoming Test series against Australia, commencing on February 9. The Test series opener will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur with all eyes on the nature of the pitch.

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