New Delhi: Cheteshwar Pujara notched up his 25th hundred in the Ranji Trophy on Monday, October 21. It was Pujara’s 66th ton in first-class cricket as he surpassed the legendary Brian Lara to etch his name in the annals of the game. He achieved the feat during his team Saurashtra’s second-round clash against Chattishgarh in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Pujara brought up his century off 197 balls while batting for Saurashtra in their first innings on Day 4 of their clash against Chhattishgarh at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot. The veteran batter led his team’s response after Chhattishgarh rode on captain Amandeep Khare’s double hundred to post a huge total of 578 runs on the board in their first innings.
With his 66th ton in first-class cricket, Pujara, who is currently running out of favour from the Indian Test team, is 4th on the list of Indian batters with the most centuries in the format. Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar finished their careers with 81 centuries each in first-class cricket and occupy the top spot jointly followed by Rahul Dravid, who notched up 68 first-class tons. Pujara is 3rd with 66 centuries.
Most first-class centuries by Indians:
81 – Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar
68 – Rahul Dravid
66 – Cheteshwar Pujara
More to follow…