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Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has kick-started his 2024 with a bang, scoring a double hundred in Ranji Trophy against Jharkhand at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The 35-year-old brought up the milestone moment to put the Indian selection committee under pressure before they will pick the squad for the first two home Tests against England.
After Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat won the toss and chose to field first, they bowled out Jharkhand for a paltry score of 142 on the first day of the contest, thanks mainly to a five-wicket haul from Chirag Jani. It led to the Saurashtra batters piling on the misery on the visitors with Harvik Desai and Sheldon Jackson completing their respective fifties while sharing a 108-run stand for the second wicket.
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With the hosts in a commanding position, Cheteshwar Pujara walked out to bat at No. 4 in the Saurashtra batting order. He shared a 146-run stand for the fourth wicket with Arpit Vasavada, who had scored a fifty of his own in the process.
During his unbeaten fifth wicket partnership of 256 runs with Prerak Mankad, Cheteshwar Pujara showcased his batting prowess against the spinners and fast bowlers alike in very good conditions. The double hundred moment for the Indian cricketer came against the left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, whose length delivery from around the wicket was easily flicked behind square on the leg side for a single.
Watch the double hundred moment for Cheteshwar Pujara here:
After a brief period of scoring rate acceleration from Pujara and Mankad, the Saurashtra team management declared their innings on day three for 578/4 with an aim to register their first win of the new Ranji season. As of this writing, Jharkhand are 81/1, still trailing the hosts by a massive margin of 355 runs with play on Day 4 yet to happen.