India vs Australia: 1204 balls and counting - Cheteshwar Pujara registers another record in Sydney

Cheteshwar Pujara has also batted 1200-plus deliveries thus far in the four matches, the most for an Indian batsman against Australia in a Test series, ahead of Dravid’s 1203 balls faced in 2003-04.

Cheteshwar Pujara is well known for his defensive batting and on Day 2 of the fourth Test match between India and Australia, he surpassed Rahul Dravid to become the become the front-runner when it comes to number of balls faced by an Indian cricketer in a Test series in India.

Cheteshwar Pujara (C) celebrates after reaching his century. (AFP)

Pujara, who faced 332 balls till lunch on Day 2, scripted his name in an elite list as he became the fifth Indian batsman after Dravid(1203 balls - 2003/04), Vijay Hazare (1,192 balls - 1947-48), Virat Kohli (1,093 balls - 2014-15) and Sunil Gavaskar (1,032 balls - 1977-78), to have faced 1,000 or more balls in a Test series in Australia.

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Cheteshwar Pujara continued to pile on the runs, taking India to 389 for 5 at lunch on the second day of the fourth and final Test against Australia.

Pujara recorded his highest overseas score as he was batting on 181 not out while Rishabh Pant was unbeaten on 27 runs with the duo putting on 60 runs for the sixth wicket at the break.

READ: Cheteshwar Pujara joins Rahul Dravid in elite list after Sydney Test heroics

He also became only the third Indian batsman to score 500-plus runs in a Test series against Australia, after Rahul Dravid in 2003-04 and Virat Kohli in 2014-15.

(With agency inputs)