"I can proudly say that he hasn’t ever strayed away from the path of truth" - Cheteshwar Pujara's father Arvind ahead of his son's 100th Test

Cheteshwar Pujara is all set to become the 13th Indian player to represent the country in 100 Test matches. The gritty batter will create history while stepping out on the field for the upcoming second Test against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, starting on Friday, February 18.

Pujara made his debut in 2010 and emerged as a natural successor to Rahul Dravid at No.3 in the Test team. He was also a part of the ODI setup for a brief while, but could not get going.

The right-handed batter has evolved to be one of the greatest Test batters of the modern era, having proven his credentials across all conditions in a competitive Indian batting setup.

Revealing Pujara's affirmation of spirituality, influenced by his late mother, Arvind Arvind told the Indian Express:

"My wife used to keep repeating a verse from Bhagavad Gita. It said: A man who is full of faith, who is devoted and has subdued the senses, obtains knowledge. I can proudly say that Cheteshwar hasn’t ever strayed away from the path of truth. No short-cuts, nothing but sincerity and earnestness. God has been kind to us. Truth triumphs."

Pujara has scored 7021 runs in the longest format at an average of 44.16. He is currently the eighth-highest run-scorer for India in Tests, only 191 runs behind Sourav Ganguly.

Additionally, he has recorded 19 Test hundreds, with the most recent coming during the tour of Bangladesh in December 2022.

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"She had said ‘write it down, our kid will play for India" - Arvind Pujara

Pujara's mother, Reena, passed away when he was 17, meaning that she could not witness him playing for the country.

Arvind recalled a time when the family considered a potential switch in state for the player, as he was not getting noticed despite amassing over 5000 runs in first-class cricket.

He stated how Reena was adamant about the prospect of Pujara continuing to represent Saurashtra and then eventually, India. Arvind said:

"When Chintu was piling up the runs in his teens – by my reckoning he made 5,000 runs in age-group cricket – he wasn’t getting rewards. There were questions in our minds. Was Saurashtra the best team for him or should he move to another state? It was then that my wife said, “No. He will play for Saurashtra. She had said ‘write it down, our kid will play for India."

The ace batter will hope to mark the occasion by becoming the first Indian batter to record a hundred in his 100th Test appearance.

The second Test between India and Australia will take place from Friday, February 17 onwards at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Rohit Sharma and Co. have a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

Will Cheteshwar Pujara score big in his 100th Test appearance? Let us know what you think.

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