Cheteshwar Pujara's painstaking century on the first two days of the third Test might have been castigated in certain quarters, surprisingly by former international players, too. But the value of the India No. 3 batsman's 17th Test ton is becoming more and more magnified as the game moves towards its climax.

Pujara batted for nearly seven hours and faced 319 deliveries in making 106, while adding 170 for the third wicket with Virat Kohli, who made a sedate 204-ball 82. With Australia facing a stiff fourth-innings target on an unpredictable surface, Pat Cummins said the template for batting on this track had been set by the Pujara-Kohli duo.