Cricketing universe hails 'Statue of Patience' Cheteshwar Pujara on his 31st birthday
Pujara is busy playing the Ranji Trophy semi-final for his home team Saurashtra against Karnataka.
India’s No.3 Cheteshwar Pujara is reminding of the great VVS Laxman. Like Laxman, the former has also gathered a tremendous confidence and attained a higher stature after scoring some memorable knocks against Australia in the recently concluded Test series Down Under that India won. Pujara scored 521 runs while facing over 1,200 balls during the series and slammed as many as three hundreds, one of which almost converted into a double. The new wall of the Indian cricket turned 31 on Friday.
The birthday boy though had little respite on the special occasion as he was busy holding the fort for Saurashtra in the second semi-final of the Ranji Trophy in Bengaluru against Karnataka. The visiting side was 155 for 3 with Pujara batting in the 30s in reply to the home team’s first innings score of 275. The winner will take on Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final, as the defending champions decimated Kerala in the other semi-final.
Pujara battled it out for Saurashtra in Ranji on his birthday
Wishes poured in thick and fast for the batsman who showed tremendous resilience in the Australia series, making even the former Aussie greats advise their team to take a leaf out of Pujara’s book. His century on the Day 1 of the first Test in Adelaide after India found themselves in trouble contributed in a big way to set the tone for the entire series.
In terms of wishes, however, it was none other former opener Virender Sehwag who led the pack. In his familiar witty style. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India also wished the batsman on his birthday besides his Team India mates like Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav. Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif also wished him.
Pujara completed 5,000 in Test cricket during the series against Australia and averages above 51 in 68 matches with 18 hundreds.
Here are the wishes that came Pujara’s way on Twitter:
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