Star Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara achieved two big milestones against Australia during the first innings of the ongoing fourth Test in Ahmedabad.
Pujara, who is playing his 102nd red-ball match, joined the likes of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and current head coach Rahul Dravid as he became the fourth Indian batter to score 2000 runs against Australia. He is the sixth batter overall who has scored more than 2,000 runs.
Before the start of the Ahmedabad Test, Pujara needed only 9 runs to complete 2000 runs and he achieved the feat in the morning session of the third day’s play.
The ongoing 4th Test match is also Pujara’s 24th Test against the mighty Australians and he now has a 2002* to his name.
List of players with the most runs for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:
| POSITION | PLAYER | MATCHES | RUNS | AVERAGE | BEST | 100/50 |
| 1. | Sachin Tendulkar | 34 | 3262 | 56.24 | 241* | 9/16 |
| 2. | VVS Laxman | 29 | 2434 | 49.67 | 281 | 6/12 |
| 3. | Rahul Dravid | 32 | 2143 | 39.68 | 233 | 2/13 |
| 4. | Cheteshwar Pujara | 24* | 2012* | 51.58 | 204 | 5/11 |
| 5. | Virat Kohli | 24* | 1793 | 44.82 | 169 | 7/5 |
Apart from completing 2000 runs against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Cheteshwar Pujara also completed 1000 runs against the world’s No. 1 Test team, Australia, in India. He is the fourth player to achieve this record after Sachin Tendulkar, Laxman, and Dravid.
Meanwhile, Pujara didn’t have a great time in the ongoing edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as it has been a forgettable journey for Pujara so far. He has only managed to score one half-century in five innings. Before the start of the ongoing Test, he scored 7, 0, 31*, 1, and 59.
Talking about the ongoing series, the ongoing 4th Test match is a must-win match for the Indian cricket team in order to confirm a spot in the ICC World Test Championship Final. If India manages to win this game, they will qualify for the summit clash that will take place at the Oval from June 7 to June 11.
However, if India fails to secure the win, then their chances will depend on the result of the two-match Test series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
