India A skipper Cheteshwar Pujara has smashed his third first-class triple century in the match against West Indies A at Hubli, Karnataka. At the close of play, the hosts were in command as the visitors posted 166/3 still 180 runs behind with a day to go.
Pujara scored 306* runs off just 415 balls with 33 fours. Yesterday, Out-of-favor opener Gautam Gambhir had cracked his first century in more than two years as India A dominated third unofficial Test match But Pujara, who was not in a great run of form recently, worked his way to a century too. Gambhir was the more flamboyant of the two.
Today, however, he was much more aggressive as he tonked West Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground. Outside the usual drives and pulls, Pujara also manipulated the field with a reverse lap and a regulation lap at regular intervals.
You knew a session of Pujara punishment was on the cards, especially when one is reminded of his dash from 150 to 200 in just 17 balls when Saurashtra were pushing for a declaration against Madhya Pradesh in last year’s Ranji trophy match. Here, though, he waited for a bit longer and duly respected a bowling attack which was far better than what Madhya Pradesh came up with them. With Uday Kaul he added a largely patient 93 for the sixth wicket. Once Kaul got out, Pujara shifted gears. He was 235 off 360 when the tails were in.
Dhawal Kulkarni scored only six out of a 39-run seventh-wicket stand. Pujara wasn’t muscling the ball, but hardly ever hitting to the fielder either. At Kulkarni’s fall, Zaheer Khan came out and swung a few, so Pujara took the back seat and let him do that. Zaheer’s wicket brought another, and Nurse was now on a hat-trick, and Pujara was 273. Ishwar Pandey played out the remaining two balls of that over and then took a back-seat as for the next 23 balls, Pujara farmed the strike with refusing singles and taking doubles, he kept hitting the boundaries, and eventually got closer to 300. When he was on 299 field came up, he survived an lbw appeal from Delorn Johnson bowling left-arm quick from round the stumps. He played a scintillating cover-drive off the next ball to bring up his third triple hundred, the clock was nudging 2.10pm, and the declaration was perfectly timed.
He became the 9th batsmen to score three first-class triple-hundreds. The others who achieved the feat are – Don Bradman (6), Bill Ponsford (4), Wally Hammond (4), WG Grace (3), Graeme Hick (3), Brian Lara (3), Michael Hussey (3), Ravindra Jadeja (3).
Pujara, though, was given a lifeline on which he duly capitalized in the last over before lunch. The nurse had a chance coming his way at second slip, and dropped it. Pujara was 198 then. From then on he hit 107 of the 142 runs scored in the middle session, and declared the innings closed at the stroke of tea.
Pujara’s innings gave his side, who are trailing 1-0 in the series, four sessions to force a result in. India A declared 296 ahead, and all three of their quicks – Zaheer Khan, Dhawal Kulkarni and Ishwar Pandey- delivered an early wicket each before the Guyanese pair of Narsingh Deonarine and Assad Fudadin saw them through to stumps. It will be an interesting final day as India A will go for the kill in order to level the series.