The ongoing India-Australia series may have revolved around Decision Review System appeals and shoulder injuries but if India will be honest with themselves: one man has single-handedly kept them alive in this series and it’s not Virat Kohli.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s 92 in the second innings in Bengaluru ultimately proved match-winning and in Ranchi, he was, if possible, back to his supreme best. There were those exquisite lower-hand drives, that steel and grittiness in display. Pujara played out the entire day, defending for ages when required and yet never losing an ounce of patience, putting away the bad ball the moment Australia’s bowlers slipped.

At stumps, he left, unbeaten on 130, his 11th overall century and his fourth in this home season. In the process, he set plenty of records, here are the most interesting of them:

The Marathon Man

  • In this home season, Cheteshwar Pujara has batted for 2431 balls and 3291 minutes, the most by any player in Tests in a home season.
  • He is also the first player to score a century in the debut Test at four different venues.
  • With seven hundreds in this first-class season, Pujara joins Sunil Gavaskar and Tiger Pataudi on the list of most hundreds in the season. VVS Laxman tops of this list with eight hundreds in the 1999-’00 season. Pujara will have at least one more innings (if not more) to match Laxman’s feat.
  • With 1935 runs in 27 innings in 16 matches so far, Pujara has a record number of runs in the first-class season. He has scored seven hundreds and nine fifties so far. 
  • This is Pujara’s fifth Test innings to have spanned more than 300 balls. The other four are: 206 not out in 389 balls vs England in Ahmedabad in 2012, 135 off 350 balls against England in Mumbai in 2012, 204 off 341 balls against Australia in Hyderabad in 2013 and 159 off 306 balls against New Zealand in 2013.
  • Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara have six century partnerships in this Test season. They are one short of Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting who hold the record with seven in the 2005-’06 season.