Cheteshwar Pujara met Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his 100th Test appearance, which the batter will reach in the upcoming Test against Australia, which starts from Friday in New Delhi. Pujara shared a few snaps from the meeting on Twitter, thanking the Prime Minister for the encouragement before his landmark Test.
“It was an honour to meet our Hon. Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji. I will cherish the interaction and encouragement ahead of my 100th Test. Thank you @PMOIndia,” tweeted Pujara.
The Prime Minister said he was “delighted” to host Pujara and his wife and wished him luck for his 100th Test.
Pujara, who is one of India's mainstay in the red-ball format, made his debut against Australia in October 2010. In the 99 appearances he has made so far, Pujara has accumulated 7021 runs, which include 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries. He will become the 13th Indian to reach the milestone.
{{/usCountry}}Pujara, who is one of India's mainstay in the red-ball format, made his debut against Australia in October 2010. In the 99 appearances he has made so far, Pujara has accumulated 7021 runs, which include 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries. He will become the 13th Indian to reach the milestone.
{{/usCountry}}Pujara started his Test career with a brilliant 72 and notched two double hundreds in your first 11 Tests. The 2018-19 tour of Australia is one of Pujara's finest, where he finished as the leading run-scorer after accumulating 521 runs from seven innings. Riding on Pujara's sensational show India then blew Australia 2-1 in a four-match series.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Shreyas Iyer joins India squad in Delhi ahead of 2nd Test against Australia
Known for his grit, Pujara is the only Indian to face 500 deliveries in a single inning. He completed the rare feat against Australia at Ranchi in March 2017. Pujara had then scored 202 off 525 balls, which saw him overtake Rahul Dravid's record of 495-ball 270 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2004.
Sharing his thoughts on his journey from Rajkot to 100 Test matches, Pujara in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times said: “It has been quite the journey...It’s been an incredible journey playing for the Indian team for such a long time and it's not just about the number of Test matches. As a child I have always dreamt of playing for the Indian Test team, when I first got the opportunity in 2010 it became a dream come true moment.” [Cheteshwar Pujara: Full Interview]