Cheteshwar Pujara, one of the best Test bats of his time, reached a career milestone that not many could even afford to dream about. Pujara is currently playing in his 100th national team match for India against Australia in the second Test. Pujara, who is renowned for his obstinate demeanor in the midst of a 22-yard pitch, isn’t really any different in real life. The senior Pujara described how the India batter experienced difficult events at a young age but didn’t let them break him in an emotive anecdote told by his father.
“Beyond the cricket field, he has faced some really tough situations. Had he not been strong, he would have crumbled under pressure, given up the game, and drifted in life,” Pujara’s father Arvind said in an interview with Indian Express. As Saurashtra’s match ended early, Pujara was scheduled to head back home. The right-handed batter didn’t realize that the last time he spoke to his mother was indeed the last one as he was on his way to see her mother.
“I still remember the day Reena left us. This was after her chemotherapy was over and she seemed on the mend. Chintu was in Bhavnagar, playing an under-19 game. We were shifting houses, so my wife said she would go to our relative’s home so she could rest.
“Since the Saurashtra team lost early, Chintu called his mother around 2 pm to tell her that he would be returning that evening. Within a couple of hours, Reena got what is called a ‘lightning heart attack’. It happened so quickly that she couldn’t get up from the diwan and move to the bed. When Chintu reached home, we were a family of two – his mother, my wife, and the center of our lives had left this world,” revealed Arvind. Even Pujara’s father had a heart attack a few years later, but for God’s grace, he made a full recovery.
“Years later, Chintu would be reminded of that traumatic day again. While he was undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, I got a heart attack. That day, I was in bed when my heart started beating vigorously. So much so that I could hear it beat like a drum. I called my family doctor Nirbhay Shah, and asked: “What does one feel when he is having a heart attack?” He knew me well and asked where I was. Dr. Shah rushed home and shifted me to a hospital,” Arvind revealed.
“He called Chintu and told him that I was admitted to a hospital. It is easy to guess his thoughts when he was on the plane. He wasn’t sure if the doctor was telling him the truth. He wasn’t sure if I was still alive. But he kept calm and reached Rajkot. God was kind to us, this time there was no bad news waiting for him. He was pleased to see me,” he added.