Mumbai, April 30 -- Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has praised Cheteshwar Pujara's crucial contribution in India's historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in Australia, calling the achievement "as good as winning the World Cup."

In the 2018-19 series, Pujara played a defining role with 521 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 74.42. His performance included three centuries and one half-century, forming the backbone of India's batting effort.

In the 2020-21 series, the right-handed batter once again delivered crucial contributions under pressure, scoring 271 runs in four matches at an average of 33.87. His tally featured three fifties, reflecting his ability to grind out runs in challenging conditions.

Reflecting on th...