Pujara completes 5,000 runs in List A cricket!

Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has finished 5,000 List A cricket runs. India’s Test veteran achieved this milestone during his side’s One Day Cup match against Middlesex at Hove on Tuesday. Pujara presented a rare side of him during his side Sussex’s match against Middlesex, crushing 132 runs in only 90 balls with 20 fours and two sixes. He was striking runs at an extraordinary strike pace of 146.66.

With this century, Pujara has an overall List A record (which likewise incorporates limited overs games other than international matches too, in addition to ODIs) is 5,059 runs in 111 games across 109 innings at a normal of 57.48. His best score in this format is 174. Pujara has scored 14 centuries and 31 half-centuries in this format.

England’s Graham Gooch (22,211) and Graeme Hick (22,059), India’s Sachin Tendulkar (21,999), Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakara (19,456) and West Indies legendary Vivian Richards (16,995) are the top-five run-scorers in List A cricket.

Prominently, Pujara has been an amazing form for his county side.

In the One Day Cup so far, Pujara has smashed 614 runs in eight innings at an average of 102.33. Three centuries and two half-centuries have emerged from his bat. His best score is 174, which he hit against Surrey. It is likewise the most noteworthy score by a Sussex player in List A cricket.

The batter is the second highest run-scorer in the competition till now, behind Stephen Sean Eskinazi of Middlesex, who has scored 658 runs in eight games.

Pujara has also exhibited his significance for Sussex in the longest format as well as in the County Championship Division two.

In 13 innings across eight games in the championship, he has scored 1,094 runs at an average of 109.40. His best individual score is 231. 500 or more scores have emerged from his bat in the competition. He sits at the second spot in batting charts here too.

Coming to his match against Middlesex, centuries from Tom Alsop (189*) and Pujara (132) assisted Sussex with coming to 400/4 in their 50 overs. Alsop and Pujara had a 240-run stand for the third wicket. Max Harris was the pick of the bowlers for Middlesex with 3/56.

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Chasing 401, Middlesex didn’t look like much of a threat. Wicketkeeper-batter Joe Cracknell scored a strong 71 while Martin Andersson scored 30. But Henry Crocombe (3/33) and Delray Rawlins (3/61) were just too good for their rival and Middlesex were bundled out for 243, losing the game by 157 runs.