Cheteshwar Pujara slams 66th First-Class century, surpasses 21,000 runs: Stats
Indian cricket stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara has added another feather to his already illustrious cap by scoring his 66th First-Class century. The remarkable feat was achieved during a match against Chhattisgarh in the second round of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. This century marks Pujara's 25th in the Ranji Trophy and brings him closer to Rahul Dravid's tally of FC hundreds.
Pujara's century: A response to Chhattisgarh's formidable score
Pujara's ton was in reply to Chhattisgarh's mammoth first-innings total of 578/7. The Saurashtra batter brought up the three-figure mark in 197 balls, showing his grit and class. He is now only two centuries behind Dravid, who has 68 First-Class hundreds. Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar lead the chart with a staggering 81 FC centuries each.
Pujara surpasses 21,000 First-Class runs
Apart from his century, Pujara also crossed the landmark of 21,000 First-Class runs during his knock against Chhattisgarh. He became the fourth Indian to do so after Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Dravid. Gavaskar tops the list with a whopping 25,834 runs followed by Tendulkar (25,396) and Dravid (23,794).
A look at his sensational FC numbers
Playing his 273rd First-Class match, Pujara has raced past 21, 000 runs at an average above 51. Apart from 66 centuries, he has also smoked 80 fifties in this format. 7,195 runs have come for India from 103 Tests at 43.60. He has clobbered 19 centuries and 35 fifties in Indian whites. He last featured for India against Australia in 2023 in the WTC final.
