Cheteshwar Pujara sets world record with double century

Greater Noida: Cheteshwar Pujara, who faced criticism for his slow approach to batting and was dropped for the last Test match in West Indies, replied to his critics with a record double century while representing India Blue against India Red in the Duleep Trophy final on Sunday. Pujara became the first batsman in the world to score a double century with the newly introduced pink ball in any form of cricket. Cricket administrators across the world is pushing for the pink ball cricket to make it more appealing for the spectators as the matches are played in the evening under artificial light. The double century – Pujara’s 10^th in first class cricket – couldn’t have come at a better time as the national selection panel is set to meet on Monday to pick the squad for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. Pujara took 303 balls to complete the double century with the help of 21 boundaries. His strike rate during the record knock was in 60s – a mark of healthy scoring rate – which proves that Pujara is not a slow scorer. He may start slowly but he picks up the pace once settled. Pujara also scored 166 in the previous Duleep Trophy match and with the double century, he has once again proved that when it comes to playing big innings, he is among the best in the world.