Cheteshwar Pujara completes 5,000 runs in List A cricket

Cheteshwar Pujara. Photo courtesy/Sussex Twitter

Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has completed 5,000 List A cricket runs. India's Test veteran accomplished this landmark during his side's One Day Cup match against Middlesex at Hove on Tuesday. Pujara unleashed a rare side of him during his side Sussex's match against Middlesex, smashing 132 runs in just 90 balls with 20 fours and two sixes. He was striking runs at a great strike rate of 146.66. With this century, Pujara has an overall List A record (which also includes limited overs games other than international matches as well, plus ODIs) is 5,059 runs in 111 games across 109 innings at an average of 57.48. His best score in this format is 174. Pujara has scored 14 centuries and 31 half-centuries in this format.

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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 great Vivian Richards (16,995) are the top-five run-scorers in List A cricket. Notably, 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 come out of his bat. His best score is 174, which he hit against Surrey. It is also the highest score by a Sussex player in List A cricket.

The batter is the second highest run-scorer in the tournament so far, behind Stephen Sean Eskinazi of Middlesex, who has scored 658 runs in eight games. Pujara has also showcased his greatness for Sussex in the longest format as well 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. Five hundred-plus scores have come out of his bat in the championship. He sits at the second spot in batting charts here as well. Coming to his match against Middlesex, centuries from Tom Alsop (189') and Pujara (132) helped Sussex reach 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.

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

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