Ahead of the India-Australia second Test in Delhi, India coach Rahul Dravid has lavished praise on Cheteshwar Pujara, who is all set to play in the 100th Test of his career.
“To play 100 Tests is a great achievement for any cricketer. Yes, you need talent but you need lot of other things. It’s about longevity. Your fitness, your resilience, ability to handle success and failure,” Dravid said.
“Everyone sees ups and downs in this long journey. You need to face and overcome these. You need to play different kinds of bowling, face various questions on and off the field. Pujara has taken at least 13-14 years to get here, its a tribute to his skill and so many other things like I have mentioned,” the head coach said.
“He’s a very popular player, and everyone’s happy that he’s playing 100 Tests. We hope that he continues performing well for India. Over the last decade, Pujara has played important innings for the nation, and has won India games as well as series,” Dravid added.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who was added to the squad for the second Test will walk straight into the playing XI “if he’s fit”, according to Dravid.
Pujara’s five of the best career-defining Test performances
Pujara has enjoyed a stellar 13-year career and is all set to play his 100th Test in Delhi on Friday. As the star approaches this landmark, here is five of his best efforts.
- 206* & 41* vs England, First Test, Ahmedabad, 15-19 November 2012
- 145* vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, Third Test, 28 August – 1 September 2015
- 132* vs England, Southampton, Fourth Test, 30 August – 2 September 2018
- 123 & 71 vs Australia, Adelaide, First Test, 6-10 December 2018
- 50 & 77 vs Australia, Sydney, Third Test, 7-11 January 2021 and 25 & 56 vs Australia, Brisbane, Fourth Test, 15-19 January 2021
