Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Cheteshwar Pujara arrives with 'First Class' ton against Jharkhand

Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has been out of the national setup ever since India's loss in the World Test Championship final in 2023 against Australia. However, his ouster was affected after an unimpressive show for the past three or four years. His glorious roadway back in the international arena depends heavily on an impressive domestic season, and the Gujarat-born seems to be on the exact path.

In the ongoing Ranji Trophy game between Jharkhand and Saurashtra, Pujara smashed a terrific hundred, marking a strong commencement to the tournament. The ace batter's hundred came in the first innings on Day Two during the evening session, while facing the likes of Shahbaz Nadeem, Anukul Roy and others. During the knock, the pro cricketer also engaged in a 146-run partnership with Arpit Vasavada, who made a gritty 68 off 171 balls.

Watch the moment of Pujara reaching his hundred here:

The ongoing clash is being held at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, wherein the Virat Singh-led side batted first. However, the hosts bundled out Jharkhand for 142 runs, while trailing by just 34 runs at the end of Day 1 with the scoreboard reading 108/1. On Day 2, though, the partnership between Harvik Desai (85) and Sheldon Jackson (54) was broken early.

Upon Jackson's dismissal, in came Pujara to score runs to his conventional liking, taking a backseat during his 41-run partnership with Desai. Thereafter, Pujara took over the responsibility to score majority of runs, and put the visiting team in trouble with his patient stay. Putting the bad balls away, the 35-year-old needled every run to stitch an astonishing ton.

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While the hundred will mean a lot to the man himself, he would surely want to convert this into a big one. At Stumps on Day 2, Pujara is at the crease batting on 157, alongside Prerak Mankad (23*), with the lead tallying 250-odd. Having lost four wickets already, Saurashtra will rely heavily on Pujara's services to stretch the lead big and take the total to a daunting one.