Pujara reaches 5000 Test runs

Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday became the 12th Indian batsman to score 5000 runs in Test cricket during his gritty knock of 123 against Australia on the opening day of the first Test here.

The 30-year-old notched up his 16th hundred in his 65th Test at the Adelaide Oval, reaching the 5000-mark landmark in 108 innings, the same as the legendary Rahul Dravid, who made the No 3 slot his own.

Pujara is the second active Indian cricketer with 5000 runs after skipper Virat Kohli who has amassed 6331 in 124 innings.

His 246-ball innings was also his maiden Test hundred on Australian soil. He also reached his 14000 first-class runs Thursday.

He also became the fifth fastest Indian to cross 5000 runs in Tests after Kohli, who was the fourth fastest Indian to cross the landmark last December after Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.

Pujara also joined an elite list of Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay, who have scored a century on the opening day of a tour outside Asia.