Cheteshwar Pujara is frequently referred to as the “Wall of Indian cricket” of the present era, continuing Rahul Dravid’s legacy with his unwavering temperament and traditional style. In Test cricket, Pujara has become India’s go-to guy because of his endurance, patience, and ability to grind down bowlers.
Reliable Indian Test cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara is renowned for his patience, tenacity, sound technique, and ability to lead India’s batting lineup. Pujara is a rare jewel in the present period because he has adhered to the traditional traditions of Test cricket, even if the T20 era favours big hitters and fast-paced batting.
From his early years and domestic struggles to his international exploits, IPL appearances, personal life, accomplishments, and lesser-known facts that have made him one of India’s most admired cricketers, this site chronicles his inspirational path.
Biography of Cheteshwar Pujara:
- Real Name: Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara
- Full Name: Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara
- Nickname: Steve (given by teammates for his batting style similar to Steve Waugh)
- Profession: Professional Cricketer (Right-handed Batsman)
- Famous for: Being India’s modern-day “Wall” in Test cricket, known for his patience, resilience, and match-saving knocks.
- Best Performance: 2021 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, where he absorbed over 900 deliveries, laying the foundation for India’s historic win.
- Salary: Approx. ₹3–5 Crore annually (from BCCI central contract and domestic leagues)
- Monthly Income: Around ₹25–30 Lakhs (including endorsements, domestic cricket, and leagues)
- Website URL: www.cheteshwarpujara.in
- Instagram Handle: @cheteshwar_pujara
Physical Status of Cheteshwar Pujara:
- Height: 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
- Weight: 71 kg (approx.)
- Body Measurements: Chest – 40 in, Waist – 32 in, Biceps – 13 i
- Eye Colour: Dark Brown
- Hair Colour: Black
Personal Life of Cheteshwar Pujara:
- Date of Birth: January 25, 1988
- Place Of Birth: Rajkot, Gujarat, India
- Nationality: Indian
- Hometown: Rajkot, Gujarat
- School: Lal Bahadur Shastri Vidyalaya, Rajkot
- College: J.J. Kundaliya College, Rajkot
- Highest Education Qualification: BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
Family Statistics of Cheteshwar Pujara:
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife: Puja Pabari (married in 2013)
- Children: A daughter, Aditi
- Parents: Arvind Pujara (Father, former cricketer), Late Reena Pujara (Mother)
- Siblings: None (only child)
- Religion: Hindu
- Other Hobbies: Reading spiritual books, listening to devotional music, spending time with family
Early Life of Cheteshwar Pujara:
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara was born on January 25, 1988, in Rajkot, Gujarat. A middle-class family with a love for cricket, its father, Arvind Pujara, who had represented Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy, was also the father who taught him the game itself. Up to the point of her tragic death (when Pujara was a teenager), Pujara received wholesome support from his mother, Reena Pujara.
His hardiness, which he had brought to his cricketing skills, came to fruition with the incident. His quiet and observing composure, along with his intense concentration, were clearly noticeable from toddlerhood. In the streets of Rajkot, he played street cricket with youngsters, much bigger than him, which helped him improve his defensive skills. The rock-solid attitude he demonstrated during his test career was established during these early years.
Education of Cheteshwar Pujara:
Having excelled in academics till Rajkot, where his education was rounded off, cricket stood first. As a result, his father’s session merely added some batting finesse to his plans, rather than teaching him the fundamentals of batting. During his growing years, cricket was balanced with academics, only to take over eventually. Following his success in seasoned competitions, including age groups, due to his exceptional cricketing performance, he dedicated himself to all his interests alongside his studies.
Though commerce was taught to Pujara, a significant factor in his character formation was his patience and discipline, which are substantial cognitive assets. Education, he proposed, had encompassed not just the academic syllabus. The immense Test batting prowess he developed during those early school days, thanks to his temperament, attachment, resolute fortitude, deeper concentration, and humility, had resulted in unerasable values acquired at infancy, which significantly impacted his cricket.
Cheteshwar Pujara: Cricket Journey
At a very young age, Pujara began playing cricket, making headlines for scoring 306* against Baroda during a U-14 fixture. The national selection was being discussed after the outstanding feat. Gradually, he began to move up the ranks of age-level cricket and made a name for himself as a dependable ‘Saurashtra’ player in the domestic game.
His international debut was at the 2006 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he topped the list of batters with 349 runs. His transition was marked straight into the ‘Indian Cricket’ ocean, where he messed up with three-digit scores. Known for his impatient long knock, Pujara, who was slowly and gradually defined as India’s next long-format star, was soon included in the India team call.
Journey in the IPL and Domestic:
His domestic career is a tale of grit and patience. He was considered the bedrock upon which the precious Saurashtra frequently revolved in the Ranji Trophy, performing at the level of double and triple centuries. Spending long hours at the crease, turning seeming disadvantages into large scores, was the hallmark of Pujara’s game in the domestic arena. However, Pujara’s impact in the IPL was minimized.
Pujara had the technique suited for red-ball cricket rather than for power hitting. He has represented various teams at different times, including Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kolkata Knight Riders. Otherwise, even with minimal IPL performances, he was enjoying his supremacy in the domestic side and is considered to be one among the premier run-getters in Indian first-class cricket.
International Career of Cheteshwar Pujara:
Cheteshwar Pujara made his first Test appearance against Australia at Bangalore in 2010, scoring a fine 72 runs in the second innings and announcing his skills immediately. He became India’s third cornerstone of a batsman, frequently being compared with Rahul Dravid for years. The 2018-2019 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, where he made 521 runs, was the turning point of his career.
After playing one-day cricket from 2013 to 2014, he could not hold his place in the shorter formats. Pujara has prospered in Tests, scoring more than 7,000 runs, including several big double hundreds, showing his ability to adapt to various situations. He has shown resilience, patience, and the capacity to flourish over time in Test cricket against all kinds of troubles and disadvantages.
Injuries and Comebacks of Cheteshwar Pujara:
Pujara has suffered various injuries in his career, especially involving his knees. He missed a lot of cricket when he was just starting with Indian cricket after undergoing ACL surgery. And even if some people tried to dismiss the thought of Pujara ever returning with the same passion, Pujara’s mental prowess won over, and he put in the sweat to bring his skill and work on his fitness; he has made a triumphant comeback in every instance.
No point was reached where he would give up in response to several excruciatingly memorable days spent in the hospital when he was in the midst of an agonizing stint left high and dry. Pujara kept coming back, for each spell of recurring disaster, acting as a reminder of how his courage, unbeatable love, and loyalty for Test cricket remained untouched.
Personal Life of Cheteshwar Pujara:
In the midst of falling victim yesterday with his success also being instantly accomplished, Cheteshwar Pujara has always been that rare breed who remains simple and grounded. He married Puja Pabari in 2013, and they have since become partners in a family bonded together for life. A daughter named Aditi was born to them in 2018.
Despite his towering achievements, Pujara has retained the discreet charm of a humble man in personality, giving credit to his family for keeping him naturally calm and unassuming. He is very spiritual and spends quality time off the field with his wife and daughter. His relaxed and controlled manner has made him one of the most respected players in the game of cricket, and his family has seen him endure injuries, defeats, and the strains of being an Indian cricketer.
Career Statistics
Test Debut:
October 9, 2010, was the date when Cheteshwar Pujara represented India in his first Test at Bangalore against Australia. He walked in at number three, showed remarkable calm, and carried India to victory with a second-innings score of 72. Such was the display of the ability to withstand pressure in this debut that Pujara went on to establish himself as a Test specialist over time, often compared to Rahul Dravid. The red-ball game marked the beginning of his career, characterized by patience, strength, and consistency.
ODI Debut:
Pujara made his ODI debut on August 1, 2013, against Zimbabwe. The conventional approach was never suited to the breathless pace of ODI cricket, even though he always had a reputation for a strong temperament in the Test arena. He rattled a few runs in ODIs but failed to make any substantial impact in any of the matches he played. The debut was basically India’s trial-and-error method with respect to his versatility outside Test matches. Nevertheless, Pujara’s qualities fit the long format much more, and therein lies his most important skill of anchoring innings.
T20 Debut:
It is apparently noteworthy that Pujara has never played a T20I for India. His contrived style of productively occupying the crease with classical technique was opposite to the aggressive requirements of international T20s. Having played T20 games across both domestic and IPL scenarios, this enhanced his reputation as a red-ball specialist and seemed to have reduced his chances for the shortest version. Pujara stood proud in pursuing his method, proving that he is at home in Test cricket and that no one can match him in grinding down bowlers.
IPL Debut of Cheteshwar Pujara:
In 2008, Pujara made his IPL debut with the Kolkata Knight Riders, further representing Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore in different seasons. Strangely bound by his conventional methods and slow strike rate, Pujara could do little to earn recognition in the fast-paced format. A few solid innings, however, were not enough to secure him a place in T20 cricket. His IPL outings served as a testament to his reputation as one of India’s greatest Test specialists, highlighting the contrast between his innate red-ball temperament and the demands of franchise cricket.
Achievements of Cheteshwar Pujara:
- Cheteshwar Pujara scored 521 runs and was instrumental in India winning the Test series in Australia, 2018-19.
- The 2010 Arjuna Award for exceptional performance in cricket was awarded to him.
- He has proven himself capable of long innings, scoring three double-hundreds in Tests.
- He holds the record of 1,258 balls faced in a Test series by an Indian against Australia in 2018-19.
- In 2013, he scored a triple century (352) against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy.
- He is one of a few players in modern-day cricket to have accumulated in excess of 19,000 runs in first-class cricket.
- He is a demonstration of the immense value he brings to India as the Test core.
Here are Some of the Lesser-Known Facts about Cheteshwar Pujara:
- Pujara attributes his great concentration on the field to regular meditation.
- The mental toughness developed at the age of seventeen, with the passing of his mother from cancer.
- A rare achievement is batting for more than 500 minutes in four consecutive Test matches.
- His father, Arvind, was his first coach and a long-time mentor.
- While playing for Yorkshire in county cricket, he has batted for over 500 balls in an innings.
- Before every match, Pujara listens to devotional songs and plays classical music.
- Odium Dravid 2.0, as he is fondly referred to, is an apt title for a player whose temperament and classical style of batting exemplify a vintage form.
Cheteshwar Pujara, far from being a cricketer, stands for endurance, patience, and classical batting in contemporary times. Keeping himself as a Test cricket purist in this T20 era, he has emphasized that temperament and discipline still count in the game of cricket. With several of his match-saving knocks, especially during the away tours, India witnessed a couple of historical wins.
Although his record in terms of glittering IPL stats might not match his Test legacy, such a Test legacy remains unparalleled. As India’s number three rock, Cheteshwar Pujara will always be the one lifetime stubborn batsman, showing pride in carrying the Indian Test cap.
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