CricTracker Fan Poll: Best international cricketers of March 2017

2. Cheteshwar Pujara (India) – 20% votes

Cheteshwar Pujara in undoubtedly the best Test batsman of the Indian team at the moment. The Saurashtra lad scored runs at will in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The pitches were not favourable, the bowlers were hostile – yet the steady head of Pujara overcame all as he finished as India’s leading run-scorer in the series. With 368 runs in the 5 innings that he played in March, Pujara managed to reestablish himself as the batting mainstay of the Indian Test line-up.

It comes only as a matter of utter disgrace that the Rajkot boy will be out of action for the next two months since he has not been picked in the IPL this year. Talking about his performances, he struck a gritty 92 in the Bengaluru Test to see India win the match. Later, he went miles ahead by becoming the batsman to have played most number of balls in a Test innings when he faced 525 deliveries for his double ton at Ranchi. He finished off the series with a half century at Dharamsala as well.