Cheteshwar Pujara scored 521 runs with 3 centuries in India's maiden Test series win in Australia.
Cheteshwar Pujara, the Indian batter’s wife, Puja Pujara, just released her book titled “The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife,” in which she writes that her husband overheard discussions about dropping him from the third Test in Melbourne during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.
This is despite his impressive showing in the first game of the series, and juggling a hamstring injury and his father's medical crisis.
With a century and a half-century in Adelaide to start the series, Pujara gave India a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. But prior to the second Test in Perth, he suffered a hamstring injury.
Arvind, Pujara's father, had to be hospitalized right away after suffering a fall during this time, necessitating an emergency heart procedure. Pujara kept the squad in the dark about his father's condition in spite of these personal difficulties.
Pujara struggled in the Perth Test, scoring just 28 runs in both innings as India lost by 146 runs. For him, the time between the second and third tests was very difficult.
Puja disclosed that Pujara unintentionally overheard a discussion regarding his possible exclusion from the team as he was recovering from an injured hamstring.
"Cheteshwar made the most of his three-day break and did not step out of his room much. He alternated between resting his afflicted limb and getting his strained hamstring treated. On the lone occasion when he did, he overheard someone engaged in an intense conversation on the telephone, stating that he did not want my husband to play in the coming match because he was unfit. It was an unpleasant incident. But Cheteshwar gave no sign that he had accidentally become privy to the said exchange. Neither did he tell anyone about Papa's medical condition," Puja wrote in her book.
The incident only came to light much later during a conversation about birthday wishes on social media.
"I only learned of the incident accidentally on Cheteshwar's birthday after the tour was over. It was around half-past-two in the afternoon, the lights were off, and the room was quite dark. Aditi was napping, and Cheteshwar and I were reclining on our bed as I scrolled through our social media pages, reading out birthday greetings. One message posted on Instagram was particularly effusive and touching.
I read it out loud to Cheteshwar, remarking, 'Such a sweet gesture—what a lovely message!' There was complete silence. He did not say a word. Puzzled, I looked up from my phone and caught a most peculiar expression on Cheteshwar's face—one that was simultaneously secretive and pitying. I had no trouble translating his mind — it was his vintage you're-so-naïve-and-trusting look. I had seen it before and was therefore quite familiar with it,” she added.
Puja kept asking her husband about his response, which resulted in an eye-opening discussion.
"What's wrong?' I asked. 'Nothing,' he said, at his taciturn best. But I was not buying it. I knew quite well that when Cheteshwar went completely quiet, it usually meant he was concealing something. It was a frequent occurrence. I usually learned of on-field gossip and politics from other players' wives, never from him.
Throughout my marriage, Cheteshwar's description of his various trips had been limited to three unvarying sentences: 'We had practice, a team meeting, and then I returned to the room.' Day in and day out, year after year, I had been treated to the same standard lines. He was ready to talk about everything but his professional life. There were times when I would wonder if he even knew what was happening in the world around him,” she writes further.
Finally, Pujara revealed the truth about the social media message.
"This guy you're praising,' commented Cheteshwar laconically, 'wanted me to be dropped from the team because of fitness issues.' I gaped at him. 'Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why did you go through it alone?' 'Such things happen,' he shrugged, 'and not everything deserves a reaction. I played and played well, and that's what matters. You don't need to dwell too much on the incident. But it's important that you learn not to trust everything that takes place on social media,” Pujara reveals in her book.
In spite of these difficulties, Pujara won Player of the Series as India won their first Test series away from home in Australia. Pujara scored more than 500 runs, including 3 centuries, and scored 193 in the final Test in Sydney.