Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara is an Indian cricketer, who plays for Saurashtra in domestic cricket, has played for RCB in the last Indian Premier League. He is a right-handed batsman who plays for Saurashtra in domestic cricket and for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Indian Premier League (IPL). Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara made his Under-19 Test debut for India against England in 2005. Opening the innings, he scored 211 runs to help India win by an innings and 137 runs.
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara holds the record of scoring three triple centuries within a span of one month, although only the last of these was in a first-class match. Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara was a part of the India A team which toured England in the 2010 summers, and was the highest scorer of the tour. In October 2011, the BCCI awarded Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara a C-grade national contract. Known to have a sound technique and the temperament required to play long innings, he is one of the contenders for a spot in the Indian middle order after the retirement of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.
The Test comeback of Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara came against New Zealand in August 2012, scoring a century. Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara made his first double hundred against England at Ahmedabad in November 2012 and followed up with another double hundred against Australia in March 2013. In both the times steering India to victory and becoming man of the match. In the 2012, NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara was the highest scorer with two centuries and one half century. Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara became one of the fastest batsmen to reach 1000 runs in Test cricket in just 11 matches and his 18th Test Innings.
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara scored 10 & 203* (from just 221 balls) against Madhya Pradesh at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium at Rajkot to ensure a 203-run victory which made them qualifies to the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy quarter finals. In his next match, the quarter final at Saurashtra University in Rajkot against Karnataka, he scored 37 & 352 (dismissed by off spinner K.Gowtham in both innings) to ensure that Saurashtra qualify to the semi- final. Though he was called to the India ODI Squad after this success, yet he was not selected in the first XI.
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara was selected for the Indian squad for the two match home Test series against Australia in 2010, replacing Yuvraj Singh. Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara made his debut in the second Test of the series on 9 October 2010 at Bangalore after both Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman were down with injuries sustained in the First Test.
On 23 August 2012, Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara made his first international Test century, 159 against New Zealand in Hyderabad. His highest score in Test cricket is his double century against England, 206 not out. He has one 150 plus and two 200 plus scores to his name from the thirteen Test matches he has played. After the knock in what Pujara said was his "second debut", he became a regular in the Indian Test squad. He is yet to play for India in any of the shorter forms of the game. Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara registered his third century, 135 against England in the second Test at Mumbai; this was his second successive hundred.
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara became the 2nd fastest Indian to get to 1000 Test runs, during the course of his double hundred against Australia in March 2013, at Hyderabad, where he put on a 370-run record 2nd wicket partnership with Murali Vijay.
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons of the IPL. In the 2011 players` auction, Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara turned up for the RCB for the fourth season of the IPL before injuring his knee in a match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, which is now invalid from IPL 2013. The injury kept him out of the action for nearly a year before he returned to domestic cricket at the end of the year.
As Indian opener Virender Sehwag was struggling out of form, it provided the opportunity for Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara who hit double and triple tons in successive Ranji trophy matches to prove his ability in shorter version of the game as he was selected in 15 member squad for the One day international to play against England but he is yet to make his debut.