India's top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara continued his good run of form as he brought up his 17th Test century during the third Test of the four-match series against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.
The 30-year-old achieved the feat on day two of the Test when he scored a Nathan Lyon delivery straight down the ground for his tenth boundary of the match in the 113rd over.
Pujara, who resumed his knock on 68 on the second day, took 280 balls to reach the three-figure mark for the second time in this series. He had earlier also smashed a 123-run knock against Australia on a challenging Adelaide Oval pitch in the opening Test.
Another Test ton for Pujara, this one coming off 280 balls! That's his 17th hundred in Test cricket. Superb: https://t.co/0glOblMnaq #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/fk0pYdogQP
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 27, 2018
It is also Pujara's second century in the longest format of the game Down Under and fourth overall Test ton against Australia. Pujara has smashed a total of three centuries this year and all of them have come away from home.
However, it was the Saurashtra's batsman slowest ton in the longest format of the game. Pujara has now also amassed 322 runs in the Test series--which is maximum by any batsman in the ongoing series.
En route to achieving the milestone, Pujara also crossed 2,000-run mark away from home in the longest format of the game in his 31st Test at an average of over 39.
Meanwhile, Pujara also shared more than 150-run stand with skipper Virat Kohli to take India to a score of 277-2 at lunch on day two of the MCG Test. It was fourth such stand in Test cricket between the duo and also India’s third stand of 150 runs at the iconic stadium.
