Cheteshwar Pujara made history on Friday, January 20, as he became just the second Indian cricketer to score 12,000 First Class runs in domestic cricket. Pujara, a vital part of the Indian team for the past decade, achieved this milestone while playing for Saurashtra in a match against Andhra Pradesh.
Despite his team’s defeat by 150 runs, Pujara made a significant contribution to the game, scoring 5 runs in the first innings and 91 runs in the second. With these runs, Pujara brought his overall first-class run tally to over 18,000, and his domestic run tally to 12,000, joining former Mumbai player Wasim Jaffer, who holds the top spot with 14,609 runs.
Pujara’s journey to this milestone has not been without challenges. The 34-year-old had a rough start to 2022, being dropped from the Test team. In an effort to regain his form, Pujara took the opportunity to play county cricket in England for Sussex, which ultimately led to his comeback to the Indian team.
The top five players with the most domestic runs in India are:
Wasim Jaffer – 14,609
Cheteshwar Pujara- 12,016
Sachin Tendulkar – 9,677
Gautam Gambhir – 9655
Parthiv Patel – 9,500
Pujara’s impressive achievement adds to the already rich legacy of Indian cricket and serves as a reminder of his immense talent and dedication to the sport. With Steve Smith recently signing a deal with Sussex, fans can look forward to watching these two red-ball maestros play together in the future.