Cheteshwar Pujara ton puts Sussex on front foot against Derbyshire

After Derbyshire set a first innings' total of 246 against a visiting Sussex side, the second day of the tie between the two at the County Championship Division Two 2024 saw an all-round batting display by the tourists. Their innings was anchored by veteran red-ball specialist Cheteshwar Pujara, who, at the end of day's play, is unbeaten on 104 having faced 167 balls. Pujara's ton propelled Sussex to a three-digit lead, as the scorecard read 357/4* after Day 2 at the County Ground, Derby.

Starting their innings on the second day, the visitors didn't have a great start, losing their opener Tom Clark (4 off 10 balls) early. However, the Tom duo of Alsop and Haines stitched a 90-run stand in just 116 balls to assert domination before the latter made his way back after scoring 64. Then Pujara came to the crease and assisted Alsop, scoring 68 runs together, as the no. 3 batter did the bulk of scoring in the partnership, before getting dismissed for 64 off 126 balls.

Later, James Coles, who also picked a couple of wickets in the first innings, joined the India batter for the first three-digit stand of the match. Coles continued his all-round brilliance, smashing ten fours and a solitary maximum during his stay at the crease. Meanwhile, Pujara kept playing in his conventional way, hitting the odd ball for boundaries.

The man from Saurashtra breached the three-figure mark and his partner was also on the way to a ton, but got Luis Reece got the better of him for 72, ending his 96-ball stay at the crease. Reece, who was the only half-centurion for Derbyshire in the first innings, got a couple of wickets with his medium pace.

The day was all about the tiring elegance of Pujara, who has been in great form of late. His current county stint with Sussex also begun well. The 36-year-old scored an 86 and an unbeaten 44 in the previous encounter against Gloucestershire, and 38 in the only innings against Leicestershire. This comes right after a very successful campaign for the batter at the Ranji Trophy 2024.

The ace batter was also among the highest run-getters during India's premier domestic tournament, amassing a whopping 829 runs at an average of 69.08 in 13 innings, only behind Kerala's Sachin Baby (830) and Andhra's Ricky Bhui (902).

Also Check: Most Runs in Ranji Trophy 2024 | List of Ranji Trophy 2024 Most Runs

Coming back to the ongoing clash, the pro cricketer will be looking to double it up and further the lead to help Sussex consolidate their domination on the third day, away from home.