India batter Cheteshwar Pujara is in the middle of immense limelight before the second Test match between India and Australia in Delhi starting from tomorrow. Pujara, not known to hog limelight in the general run of things, deserves the glare of publicity on this particular occasion for he will be playing his 100th Test match on Friday.
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A personal milestone will see Pujara surpassing former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin (99) to become the 13th Indian cricketer to enter an elite club. Pujara, who will follow former India captain Virat Kohli (105) into this club, is highly likely to be followed by Ravichandran Ashwin (89) among Indian cricketers.
In what is going to be Pujara’s fourth Test match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the 35-year old player will be looking to leave a mark in a landmark Test. Readers must note that Pujara averages 49.60 on the back of a couple of half-centuries in six Test innings here.
Cheteshwar Pujara father career record
Pujara, who has attributed his success to father Arvind Pujara several times in the past, iterated on the senior Pujara’s contribution to make him a successful Test cricketer on the eve of the match.
“It [Playing 100 Test matches] means a lot to me and my family. My father has played a very important role in my cricketing career. He is someone who has coached me since my childhood. He’s very excited. He’s going to be here tomorrow. Even my wife, who is also very supportive,” Pujara told the reporters on Thursday.
For those who don’t know, Arvind Pujara used to be a first-class cricketer back in the day. In his six matches for Saurashtra between 1976-1980, he had scored 172 runs at an average of 14.33. Bipin Pujara, Arvind’s younger brother, on the other hand, had scored 1,631 runs in 36 first-class matches with the help of two centuries and 12 half-centuries between 1983-1997.
Cheteshwar Pujara family members
Although Cheteshwar Pujara’s mother had departed for heavenly abode in 2005, he currently lives with his father, wife and daughter. Pujara had married wife Puja Pabari in 2013. The couple was blessed with a daughter, who has been named Aditi, in 2018.
Pujara, who will be honoured at the stadium before the match, sounded keen to enjoy a moment of glory but didn’t want to think much about it in order to lose focus from an important Test match with respect to ICC World Test Championship 2021-23.
