“You put your body on the line for India”: Sunil Gavaskar honours Cheteshwar Pujara with heart-warming tribute

Dixit Bhargav | 17/02/2023
"You put your body on the line for India": Sunil Gavaskar honours Cheteshwar Pujara with heart-warming tribute

India batter Cheteshwar Pujara considered it as an “honour” to have received his 100th Test cap from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar – the first Indian cricketer to play 100 Test matches.

Pujara, perhaps among the last of his kind of batters, representing India for the 100th time in the ancestral format will pave way for others to not get allured by the riches and ever-increasing popularity of white-ball formats. In fact, the 35-year old player made it a point to encourage youngsters to play the “ultimate” form of cricket in Test cricket.

“It is an honour to receive this cap from you. Legends like you [Sunil Gavaskar] have inspired me. Test cricket is the ultimate format for me, it challenges you just like life. To all the youngsters, I’d encourage y’all to work hard to play Test cricket for India,” Pujara told host broadcaster Star Sports right before the start of play on the first day of the second Test match against Australia in Delhi.

Sunil Gavaskar honours Cheteshwar Pujara with heart-warming words

Pujara’s modest words came as a response to Gavaskar using heart-warming words to congratulate the former on his landmark Test. One of the commentators for Star Sports during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Gavaskar expressed pride in Pujara becoming the 13th Indian cricketer to play 100th Test.

Believing it to be a monumental and joyous occasion and rightly so, Gavaskar highlighted how Pujara has brought laurels for his country on the back of being an absolute fighter despite all the highs and lows.

“When you go out to bat, it looks that you are not taking a bat with you but the India flag with you. You put your body on the line for India. You have taken the blows” Gavaskar said on Star Sports referring to Pujara’s unmatched tenacity and determination during the last tour of Australia.

Much like all the fans, Gavaskar also hoped for Pujara to become the first Indian cricketer to score a century in his 100th Test match.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Australia Australia tour of India 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy Cheteshwar Pujara India Sunil gavaskar

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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