Cheteshwar Pujara to miss Arjuna award ceremony due to his commitments to Nottinghamshire

Indian Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has been selected for the prestigious Arjuna Award along with Indian women’s team player Harmanpreet Kaur for their excellence with the willow which made the nation proud. However, Pujara, who is considered as the perfect replacement for the legendary Rahul Dravid, said that he would not be able to receive the Arjuna Award due to his commitments to the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in England.

Pujara revealed the information on Facebook on Monday with a long note. In the note, the calm and composed cricketer mentioned that it’s an honour for him to get an award of this stature and it will make him perform even better in the future. He also mentioned his sadness over the fact that he won’t be able to receive the award in person.

What Pujara said:

“I am truly honoured and grateful for being conferred with the Arjuna Award. It will only inspire me to strive harder to do my best for the country.” said Pujara.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to receive the award in person due to my commitment to the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in England. My dedication to the game has made me what I am, and though it would have been an honour to attend the award ceremony, grabbing any opportunity to play this wonderful game has always been of utmost importance. Thank you for the continuous support over the years,”  added the batsman.

Pujara has been in terrific form in the past one year and had a major role to play in India’s clean sweep against Sri Lanka in the Test series. He scored a staggering 309 runs at an average of 77.25. He smashed two brilliant centuries in the process.

Pujara will feature for his side’s home and away matches against Northamptonshire, Worcestershire (at Trent Bridge) and Sussex (at Hove). Nottinghamshire will need the services of Pujara in their mission to gain promotion from Division 2.

Pujara’s message:

Honoured on being conferred with the Arjuna Award. Thank you for the love and support. pic.twitter.com/qcdKT7yxM2

— cheteshwar pujara (@cheteshwar1) August 28, 2017