Cheteshwar Pujara became the ninth Indian and 57th batter overall to play fifty 50 plus innings in Tests. The right-hand top-order batter from Rajkot achieved this feat by scoring 53 off 86 balls with 10 fours in the Indian second innings on the third day of the second Test match at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on Wednesday (January 5).
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It was Cheteshwar Pujara’s 32nd half-century in 160 innings of 94 Test matches. He also scored 18 centuries in Tests since 2010.
India’s Sachin Tendulkar holds the record of scoring the highest number of 50 plus innings in Tests. The master blaster played 119 fifty-plus innings, 51 centuries and 68 fifties, in 329 innings of 200 Tests between 1989 and 2013.
**The 111-run stand between Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane was the fourth-best third-wicket stand for India against South Africa in Tests. It was only the fourth century stand for this wicket position for India against South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag’s 249-run partnership at Kolkata in 2009-10 is the highest third-wicket stand for India against South Africa. The other three century stands for this wicket position came in South Africa.
** Ajinkya Rahane became only the fourth Indian player to score a fifty and a duck in the same Test match against South Africa. The right-hand batter who received his maiden duck in the 19th innings of the 12th Test match against South Africa in the first innings, went to score 58 off 78 balls with eight fours and one six in the second. Sourav Ganguly (0 &87 at Ahmedabad in April 20080, Sachin Tendulkar (63 & 0 at Durban in December 2006) and Virender Sehwag (0 &63 at Centurion in December 2010) are the other three Indians.
INDIAN WITH FIFTY 50 PLUS INNINGS IN TESTS
(Player - M - I - N.O - Runs - AVG - H.S - 100 - 50 - 0 - 50+)
Sachin Tendulkar - 200 - 329 - 33 - 15921 - 53.78 - 248* - 51 - 68 - 14 -119;
Rahul Dravid - 163 - 284 - 32 - 13265 - 52.63 - 270 - 36 - 63 - 7 - 99;
Sunil Gavaskar - 125 - 214 - 16 - 10122 - 51.12 - 236* - 34 - 45 - 12 - 79;
Venkat Sai Laxman - 134 - 225 - 34 - 8781 - 45.97 - 281 - 17 - 56 - 14 - 73;
Virat Kohli - 98 - 166 - 10 - 7854 - 50.34 - 254* - 27 - 27 - 14 - 54;
Virender Sehwag - 103 - 178 - 6 - 8503 - 49.43 - 319 - 23 - 31 - 16 - 54;
Dilip Vengsarkar - 116 - 185 - 22 - 6868 - 42.13 - 166 - 17 - 35 - 15 - 52;
Sourav Ganguly - 113 - 188 - 17 - 7212 - 42.17 - 239 - 16 - 35 - 13 - 51;
Cheteshwar Pujara - 94 - 160 - 9 - 6661 - 44.11 - 206* - 18 - 32 - 11 - 50.
BEST THIRD-WICKET STAND FOR INDIA AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA
(Runs - Partner - Venue - Season)
249 - Sachin Tendulkar/Virender Sehwag - Kolkata - 2009-10;
222 - Virat Kohli/Cheteshwar Pujara - Johannesburg - 2013-14 (Second);
176 - Gautam Gambhir/Sachin Tendulkar - Cape Town - 2010-11;
111 - Cheteshwar Pujara/Ajinkya Rahane - Johannesburg - 2021-22;
89 - Virat Kohli/Cheteshwar Pujara - Johannesburg - 2013-14 (First).
