Cheteshwar Pujara Knocking Selectors Door as He Breaks Brian Lara's Record for Most First-Class Centuries

India's cricket star Cheteshwar Pujara has made headlines by breaking a big record! He scored his 66th first-class century, passing the legendary Brian Lara's record. Pujara achieved this milestone during a Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh on October 21, 2024, at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.

The Milestone Innings

Pujara reached his 66th century by hitting 100 runs off just 197 balls. This amazing performance came as his team chased down a huge first-innings score of 578 runs set by Chhattisgarh. With this century, Pujara is now getting closer to former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid, who holds the record for the most first-class centuries by an Indian with 68.

Record Holders

In the list of all-time first-class centuries, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar lead with 81 centuries each. Here’s how the current top players rank:

Sachin Tendulkar - 81 centuries

Sunil Gavaskar - 81 centuries

Rahul Dravid - 68 centuries

Cheteshwar Pujara - 66 centuries

Vijay Hazare - 60 centuries

Wasim Jaffer - 57 centuries

Pujara's Amazing Career

During his innings against Chhattisgarh, Pujara also crossed 21,000 first-class runs, making him the fourth Indian ever to reach this milestone, after Gavaskar, Tendulkar, and Dravid. Here’s the list of Indians with the most first-class runs:

1. Sunil Gavaskar - 25,834 runs

2. Sachin Tendulkar - 25,396 runs

3. Rahul Dravid - 23,794 runs

4. Cheteshwar Pujara - 21,000+ runs

Pujara is known for his ability to play long innings and score big runs, which has been crucial for his team's success in domestic cricket. He previously achieved his 50th first-class century during the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy, showing his talent and consistency over the years.

Pujara’s achievements are a testament to his hard work and dedication to the game, and cricket fans are excited to see how many more records he can break!