cricket

Updated: Dec 08, 2018 04:18 IST

Cheteshwar Pujara proved his mettle once again on foreign soil as he scored a gritty century on Day 1 of the first Test match between India and Australia in Adelaide on Thursday.

With India losing early wickets, Pujara was under a lot of pressure but he did not let it show as the right-hander steadied the innings and guided the hosts to a respectable total.

READ: ‘Not everyone is Pujara here’: Rishabh Pant sledges hosts in Adelaide

This was the second overseas hundred for Pujara this year, after his effort in Southampton against England. He also scored fighting half-centuries in the two Test wins at Johannesburg (against South Africa) and Nottingham (against England).

The innings earned him praise from fans and experts alike with Kolkata Police paying special tribute to the batsman. They posted a picture on their official Twitter account with “Defense should be like Pujara” written on it.

The post was used for a new traffic signal awareness campaign. Kolkata Police used the batsman’s century celebration picture and clubbed it with a picture of a person wearing seat belt while driving his car.

India edged control of the first Test against Australia after enjoying a strong day two in Adelaide on Friday.

Ravichandran Ashwin (3-50), Ishant Sharma (2-31) and Jasprit Bumrah (2-34) helped reduce Australia to 191-7, still trailing by 59 runs, at stumps.