Cheteshwar Pujara blasts third quick-fire ton for Sussex, goes past Kohli in elite list

Team India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara added yet another sensational ton to his tally of runs for Sussex in the ongoing Royal London One-Day Cup 2022. Leading the team against Middlesex on Tuesday, Pujara completed his third century of the current season in 75 balls and went on to score 132 runs off 90 balls during his outing at the crease. Pujara’s knock of 132 runs, alongside Tom Alsop’s 189 off 155, powered Sussex to a first innings total of 400/4. 

Watch Cheteshwar Pujara smashes his third century for Sussex

Cheteshwar Pujara surpasses Virat Kohli, Babar Azam in elite list

While Sussex emerged victorious in the match by 157 runs, Pujara surpassed his fellow Indian cricketer Virat Kohli in an elite list. The 34-year-old hit 20 fours and two sixes during his knock, with a strike rate of 146.22. Courtesy of his magnificent knock, Pujara bettered his average score of runs in List A cricket to 57.49, which is higher than former India captain Virat Kohli's 56.50. 

Pujara’s career average currently stands at 57.48 which is the third-best average in List A cricket for any batsman with more than 50 innings. He is third only behind Warwickshire star batter Sam Hain and Australian legend Michael Bevan, with average of 58.84 and 57.86 runs respectively. On the other hand, Pakistan's Babar Azam currently sits fourth in the list with 56.56 in 153 innings followed by Kohli, 56.60 in 286 innings. 

More about Cheteshwar Pujara's Sussex campaign

The Indian cricketer’s knock on Tuesday also took his total tally of runs in the Royal London One-Day Cup across the 500-run mark. He currently sits second in the list of highest run scorers this season, with a tally of 614 runs in eight innings, which includes three centuries in total. Pujara has registered knocks of 9 (16), 63 (71), 14* (7), 107 (79), 174 (131), 49* (68), 66 (66), 132 (90) in the eight games he has played so far.

It is pertinent to mention that courtesy of the 157-run win over Middlesex on Tuesday, Sussex topped the Group A points table with six wins and two defeats. This led to the team fixing their place in a home semi-final. Celebrating the win, Sussex took to their official Instagram handle and said, “We’ve won Group A and we’re straight through to a home semi-final!”.