Captain Pujara slams 5 ton for 7 games for Sussex

Partaking in a sublime captaincy debut for Sussex, India’s Test No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara proceeded with his magnificent form in County Championship, stroking an unbeaten century (103 not out, 156b, 9×4, 1×6) – his fifth in seven games this season-to take his team to a strong 291 for two on Day 1 against Middlesex at Lord’s on Tuesday.

The in-form Pujara was named the interim captain by Sussex after their regular skipper Tom Haines was precluded for “5-6” weeks because of an injury. The 34-year-old has so far added 192 with Tom Alsop (121 not out) for the third wicket. Curiously, one of the Middlesex bowlers Pujara confronted was India pacer Umesh Yadav, who was wicketless (0-28 out of 14 overs).

Before this game, Pujara was the third-most noteworthy run-getter in the County Championship Division 2. The Saurashtra man had scored 766 runs in six games at a Bradmanesque average of 109.42, with his highest score being 203. His count presently includes two double hundreds and three hundreds.

His sizzling form in County cricket had procured Pujara a recall to the Indian team for the fifth Test against England recently.

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In the meantime, partaking in a crushing debut in County cricket, Indian off-spinner Washington Sundar took four for 69 for Lancashire to lessen Northamptonshire to 218 for seven at Northampton.

Introduced in the tenth over, Sundar got his maiden wicket in the English County Championship off only the second ball that he bowled, as Northamptonshire chief and New Zealand’s Test opener Will Young (2) edged a slice to ‘guardian Dane Vilas. Sundar then took the wickets of Ryan Rickelton (22), Rob Keogh (54) and Tom Taylor (1) in his 19 overs.

Before his County debut, Sundar had said that he was anticipating playing with English swing great James Anderson at Lancashire-his #1 team in childhood.

At Edgbaston, likewise making his County debut for Kent, Indian pacer Navdeep Saini, in the wake of being excused for a duck against Warwickshire, took Chris Benjamin’s wicket while going for 34 runs in his three overs. Answering to Kent’s 165, Warwickshire were 61 for three.

Pujara doing what he does best, scoring runs. 💯@cheteshwar1 👏 pic.twitter.com/NiKOkV6dct

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) July 19, 2022