India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara set to be a father in 2018

Indian cricket team’s batting mainstay in Tests, Cheteshwar Pujara will have much to look forward to in 2018, with him and wife Puja Pabari expecting their first child

The New Year started off with a bang for India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara as the middle-order batsman took to Twitter to announce that he and his wife Puja Pabari are expecting a child soon.

Cheteshwar Pujara and wife Puja Pabari are expecting their first child in 2018. (AP)

“We’re expecting our little bundle of joy this year. May the coming year be as blessed and happy for everyone as it’ll be for us,” Pujara wrote along with an animated picture of him and his wife.

The year gone by had been an extremely successful one for Pujara given that he finished on the third spot of the ICC Test rankings behind Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. He has 973 points to his name.

Pujara is currently in South Africa with the rest of his teammates. In what is expected to be an exciting period over the next two months, the Proteas will host India for three Tests, six ODIs and three T20Is.

The 29-year-old is one of the batting mainstays of the Indian side and has already earned more than 50 Test caps. He has close to 4500 runs against his name, including 14 centuries and 16 half-centuries.