Pujara became only the 13th Indian to play 100 or more Tests.
Pujara achieved the feat during the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Delhi on Friday (February 17).
One of the mainstays of the Indian line-up in the longest format, Pujara has played a key role in some of the team’s memorable Test wins over the years, including the twin series victories in Australia.
On his landmark game, Gavaskar presented Pujara with a special cap and delivered a moving speech praising the Indian batter.
Speaking after receiving the cap, Pujara said: “It is an honour to receive this cap from you, legends like you have inspired me (On getting the cap from Gavaskar). I wanted to play for India as a youngster but I never thought I'd get to 100 Test matches. Test cricket is the ultimate format for me, it challenges you just like life.”
The 35-year-old went on to say that he would like to encourage all the youngsters to play Test cricket.
“To all the youngsters, I'd encourage y'all to work hard to play Test cricket for India. I'd like to thank my wife, my family, everyone in BCCI and all my teammates who've supported me throughout this journey,” he added.
As he stepped out to play in his 100th Test match for India, Cheteshwar Pujara was also given a guard of honour by his teammates.
Pujara became only the 13th Indian to play 100 or more Tests, having made his debut in 2010 against Australia. In 99 Tests so far, the right-hander has aggregated 7021 runs at an average of 44.15 with 19 hundreds and 34 half-centuries.