[WATCH] ‘Captain’ Cheteshwar Pujara scores hundred at Lord’s in county clash for Sussex against Middlesex

Seasoned Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara continued his prolific run for Sussex in the ongoing county season, smashing yet another hundred against Middlesex on Tuesday (July 19) at Lord's.

It was a day of double joy for Pujara as he was earlier named captain for the County Championship Division Two clash against Middlesex at Lord’s, after regular skipper Tom Haines was ruled out due to injury.

Middlesex elected to bowl first after winning the toss. However, Pujara (115*) and Tom Alsop (135) ensured day one of the match belonged to Sussex. The duo added a mammoth 219 runs for the third wicket as Sussex went to stumps at a healthy 328/4.

Pujara faced 182 balls and occupied the crease for 261 minutes during which he struck 10 fours and a six. Sussex’s official Twitter handle shared a short highlights clip of their stand-in captain’s knock with the caption:

“Pujara doing what he does best, scoring runs. 💯 @cheteshwar1 👏.”

The defiant Indian batter’s ton on Tuesday was his fifth in the ongoing county season. He had amassed 720 runs in five matches for Sussex before joining the Indian team for the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham.

Pujara returned to county duty during the team’s previous match against Leicestershire in which he contributed 46 runs.

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“He has been a natural leader ever since he joined" - Sussex head coach Ian Salisbury on Pujara

Explaining the decision to name the experienced Indian cricketer as Sussex captain following the injury to Haines, head coach Ian Salisbury termed him a natural leader.

In an official statement ahead of Sussex’s clash against Middlesex, Salisbury said:

"Puj was very keen to step up in the absence of Tom, he sees the potential in this side and has been a natural leader ever since he joined."

On Pujara being picked for the leadership role ahead of senior pacer Steven Finn, the head coach commented:

"Finny did a brilliant job for us after Tom was injured and will remain the senior figure among our bowlers. By having a batter take up the role it means Finn can focus on leading our attack. Puj is a vastly experienced and quality person who I know will do a fantastic job.”

Meanwhile, regular captain Haines is expected to be out of action for five to six weeks after breaking a bone in his hand while batting against Leicestershire last week.