5 standout Test Performances in 2018

Cheteshwar Pujara's Adelaide glory

Cheteshwar Pujara scored 123 and 71 in the first Test at Adelaide

After levelling the T20 series at 1-1, India started their red ball campaign down under with the first Test at Adelaide Oval. Indians won the toss and elected to bat. Aussie quicks soon reduced India to 41 for 4 and when the confident looking Rohit Sharma fell playing the horrendous heave of spinner Nathan Lyon, the score was just 86.

Playing at No. 3, Cheteshwar Pujara kept his cool at one end. He was playing the ball to its merit - leaving the outgoing ones, negotiating the good ones and punishing the bad ones. He forged small partnerships with Rishabh Pant for the sixth wicket and Ravichandran Ashwin for the seventh wicket bringing India's total to 189/7.

By the time the tail started, Pujara was closing in on to his 16th hundred. Sensing he was running out of partners, he started attacking the Aussie bowlers who had just taken the new ball. He quickly crossed the three-figure mark and then hit a couple of lusty sixes, raising the eyebrows of everyone including his staunch critics.

Before running out in an unfortunate fashion, Pujara had ensured Indians reached a modest total of 250. He did well in the second innings as well, grinding the Aussie bowlers in the company of his vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane helping India to post 307 runs in the second innings.

Aussies fell short of their fourth innings target by just 31 runs and in the hindsight the late surge from Cheteshwar Pujara in the first innings emerged as the difference between the two teams, ultimately winning India No. 3 "Man of the Match" award.