Cheteshwar Pujara Named Sussex's Interim Captain Following Tom Haines' Injury

Cheteshwar Pujara on Tuesday was named interim captain for Sussex following the news that Tom Haines will be out for around 5-6 weeks after breaking a bone in his hand whilst batting against Leicestershire last week. Pujara has been one of the prolific run-scorers for the county this season and has scored more than 750 runs this season in the six matches that he has played in the County Championship Division 2.

Head Coach Ian Salisbury in an official statement, 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."

"Finny did a brilliant job for us after Tom was injured and will remain the senior figure among our bowlers," he added.

Pujara returned to India's playing XI for the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston on the back of strong performances for Sussex.

"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," said Sussex coach in his statement.

Promoted

In the six matches this season, Pujara has scored 766 runs at an average of 109.42 with his highest score being 203.

This season, the right-handed batter has scored four centuries so far.