Pujara double ton earns Sussex draw

Out-of-favour Indian middle-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara struck a superb unbeaten double-century to help Sussex script a grand escape and draw their County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire on Sunday.

Pujara scored 201 off 387 deliveries, hitting 23 fours in his 467-minutes knock and with opener and skipper Tom Harris leading from the front with 243 (491 balls, 654 minutes, 4x22), Sussex Posted 513/3 in their second innings on being asked to follow-on. The pair shared a stand of 351 in 119 overs, a Sussex record for any wicket against Derbyshire.

Electing to bat, Derbyshire had posted 505/8 declared, riding on a 239 by opener Shan Masood and 111 by Wayne Madsen. They then bundled out Susses for 174 in 56.3 overs in their first innings with Sam Conners (3/47), Nick Polls (3/43) and Anuj Dal (2/28) rattling them. Pujara was out for six runs.

Trailing by 331 runs, Sussex rode on double centuries by Pujara and Haines to reach 513/3, 180 runs ahead as the match ended in a draw at County Ground, Derby.

Pujara, who has been struggling for form in recent Tests playing for India, has joined Sussex to get his form back. And he proved that things are getting back to normal as he scored a double hundred in his first match of the season.

The 34-year-0ld Saurashtra batter clipped Potts wide of mid-on for his 14th four in the first over of the afternoon session to reach his century, his first in 27 months.

Though Derbyshire kept rotating their bowlers, there was no sign of a breakthrough until Pujara on 130 drove a swirling catch to long-on, where Billy Godleman failed to cling on.

Pujara completed his 150 from 326 balls and the 300-run stand was posted in 108 overs before the pair walked off at tea with Sussex 123 runs ahead.

In the first over of the final session, the pair passed Sussex's previous highest partnership against Derbyshire of 310, set by Ed Joyce and Luke Wells at Derby in 2016.