Team India star Cheteshwar Pujara fell merely 10 runs short of his century during Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Wednesday. Pujara score 90 off 203 balls, smashing 11 fours during his knock which also saw him going past an India batting legend for a massive feat in Test cricket. The senior India batter stuck at the crease and provided stability to the innings amid the early blows as India were left reeling at 48/3 in the 20th over. After captain KL Rahul (22), Shubman Gill (20), and Virat Kohli (1) were dismissed early, Pujara forged an important partnership with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant (46) in a bid to revive the Indian innings.
Following Pant's fall, Pujara was joined by Shreyas Iyer who scored a strong half-century on Day 1.
En route to his knock, the 34-year-old Indian batter went past former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar for a big Test feat for the country. Pujara eclipsed the former Indian captain to become the 8th highest run-getter for the side in the longest format of the game.
Vengsarkar had 6,868 runs to his name in 116 Tests for India; Pujara, who went past the legendary former batter, is now at the 8th spot and is closest to another former captain, Sourav Ganguly, who finished his Test career with 7,212 runs to his name. Here's the list of India's highest run-getters in Test cricket:
- Sachin Tendulkar - 15,921
- Rahul Dravid - 13,265
- Sunil Gavaskar - 10,122
- VVS Laxman - 8,781
- Virender Sehwag - 8,503
- Virat Kohli* - 8,075
- Sourav Ganguly - 7,212
- Cheteshwar Pujara* - 6,882
(* denotes currently active players)
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{{/usCountry}}Among those currently active, Ajinkya Rahane remains the closest to Pujara with 4,931 runs to his name in 82 Tests. In India's XI in the ongoing Test against Bangladesh, Ravichandran Ashwin is the third-highest scorer in Test cricket after Kohli and Puajra with 2,931 runs so far.
The Chattogram Test is India's first appearance in the longest format of the game since July earlier this year, when the side met England in the rescheduled fifth Test in Edgbaston.