Home
India's veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara has established himself as a 'cool and calm' character over the years. Pujara who has had success in domestic and overseas conditions in red-ball cricket is rarely seen sledging and considered as one of the quietest guys in international cricket. Indian pacer in a recent interview recalled the Under-19 days and revealed that Pujara has been religious right from the start and did not like to be involved in trash talk.
“Pujji [Pujara] was like that from the start. From U-19 NCA days, he used to get up in the morning and do pooja and wear janeu (sacred thread). He still wears it. If you ask him certain [naughty] things, he would be like, ‘no this is wrong, I don’t do it’,” said Ishant on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel.
Sharma also said that Pujara has been set in his ways since early days and over a period of time players have understood the need to be spiritual.
“We used to think, ‘Bhai, tu jee kyu raha hai?’ (Brother, why are you living?). Pujara is still like that, but we have changed with time. With time, I guess, everyone realizes that this [being spiritual] is also important,” he added.
Ishant has been out of India's Test setup since November 2021. His last Test was against New Zealand in Kanpur where India failed to take the last wicket and it ended in a draw. Ishant has taken 311 wickets from 105 Tests at an average of 32.40 including 11 fifers. In Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, he had a few decent outings for Delhi Capitals (DC) taking 10 wickets from eight games and conceding runs at an economy rate of 8.24 runs per over.
Meanwhile, Pujara has been dropped from the Test squad which Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced earlier this week. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been named in the squad which will go to West Indies next month for a two-Test series which will be a part of World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
