Pujara plays 54 deliveries to get off the mark

Cheteshwar Pujara takes 54 balls to get off the mark during the third Test between South Africa and India.

He was about to break James Anderson’s record of 55 balls to score first runs but he was able to clip a Lungi Ngidi delivery behind square for a single to score his first runs on the 54th delivery that he faced.

During his 53-ball stint without scoring a run, the batsman was unable to hit the gap even once. He resorted to leaving out most deliveries outside the off stump during his cautions knock. His first run was met with wild cheers by the Johannesburg crowd and the batsman himself was smiling; as were the India dressing room.

In total Pujara spent 80 long minutes at the crease without scoring in only the fourth over of the match after India lost opener K.L Rahul. Pujara is currently unbeaten on a 145-ball 27 as India are 114 for four.

 The longest period an Indian batsman spent at the crease is the current Indian coach Ravi Shastri, who spent 89 minutes without scoring in 1992 – coincidentally at the same venue.

England’s Stuart Broad holds the record for the spending the most minutes at the crease before getting off the mark. Broad spent 103 minutes and faced 62 deliveries to get off the mark as England managed an unlikely draw against New Zealand in 2013.