One of the mainstays of the Indian line-up in the longest format, Cheteshwar Pujara is all set to play his 100th Test match in the second Border-Gavaskar Test against Australia, starting February 17 in Delhi.

Ahead of his son’s landmark game, Pujara's father Arvind revealed how Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan had offered to help him during his early days when he sustained a hamstring injury during the IPL season 2009 while playing for KKR.

"I saw joy in his eyes on seeing me in South Africa when his hamstring had snapped while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). We were keen that he returned to Rajkot and get the surgery done here. But KKR, rather the co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, insisted that Chintu (Cheteshwar Pujara) gets treated in South Africa. There was logic in what he was saying. Since rugby players often have this injury, doctors in South Africa were more used to these surgeries," Pujara's father said in an interview with The Indian Express.

Arvind also mentioned how quickly Shah Rukh completed all the paperwork related to his passport so that he could visit his son in South Africa.

"Shah Rukh was also of the view that Chintu had a great future ahead and should get the best medical support. To convince us, he offered to fly Dr Shah and any number of family members to South Africa. I didn’t have a passport so I asked Dr Shah to travel alone. But he insisted that I too should take the trip. All the paperwork was done in record time and I was on a flight to South Africa," he said.

"I still remember the smile on Chintu’s face on seeing me. There he was alone in a foreign country, confined to the hotel room for days while the rest of the team had moved to the next city for their game. He had sounded depressed on the phone. On seeing me, I could see the joy on his face. It reminded me of the little boy on the swing," added Pujara's father.

Cheteshwar Pujara will become the 13th Indian to play 100 or more Tests, having made his debut in 2010 against Australia.

In 99 Tests so far, Pujara has aggregated 7021 runs at an average of 44.15 with 19 hundreds and 34 half-centuries.