Cheteshwar Pujara continued his outstanding form in red-ball cricket in the domestic circuit as he helped his state side Saurashtra chase down a record total in the Ranji Trophy first-class tournament.
Pujara was declared player of the series during the Border Gavaskar Test series in Australia as he scored 521 runs to help India secure a 2-1 series win.
After facing the excellent Australian pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, Pujara was expected to come good against local Indian bowlers.
In the second innings for Saurashtra against Uttar Pradesh in the Raji Trophy quarter-final, Pujara hit an unbeaten 67 to help chase down a 372-run target. Harvik Desai’s century at the top of the innings had set the stage for a victory charge. It was the highest successful run chase in Ranji Trophy history.
Meanwhile, Pujara’s fellow India Test team-mate Umesh Yadav showed he remains a master of Indian conditions as he picked up nine wickets in his team’s Ranji quarter-final win.
Umesh played the Perth Test during the Australia tour and failed to exert much control. However, as has been the case for many years, Umesh proved his mastery over Indian conditions in red-ball cricket as he picked up 4-90 in the first innings and 5-23 in the second to seal an innings win over Uttarakhand.
In the semi-finals, Saurashtra play Karnataka while Vidarbha face Kerala.
