In her book “The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife,” Puja, the wife of Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara, has revealed some startling details regarding the player’s journey. According to the book, there was a time during India’s 2018–19 tour of Australia when there were talks of taking Pujara off the team.
According to the book, the event happened following the 2018–19 series’ second Test. Pujara struck a half-century in the second innings after scoring a century in the first. The player, who was born in Rajkot, only managed to score 28 runs in the second Test match in Perth, combining the two innings. However, because of an injury, there were questions over his participation in the MCG’s Boxing Day Test.
Between the second and third Tests, Cheteshwar took full advantage of his three-day rest and rarely left his room. The book stated that he alternated between receiving treatment for his strained hamstring and resting his injured limb.
“The only time he did, he heard someone having a heated phone call and saying that he didn’t want my husband to participate in the upcoming game because he wasn’t fit. It was a disagreeable event. However, Cheteshwar showed no indication that he had unintentionally learnt of the aforementioned conversation. It further stated that he kept Papa’s health condition a secret.
After the tour was complete, I only discovered the occurrence by chance on Cheteshwar’s birthday. The room was dark, the lights were out, and it was perhaps half past two in the afternoon. I was reading birthday greetings on our social media profiles while Aditi was sleeping and Cheteshwar and I were lounging on our bed.
One Instagram message was very heartfelt and eloquent. There was utter quiet. He remained silent. I looked up from my phone, puzzled, and saw a very strange smile on Cheteshwar’s face, one that was both pathetic and mysterious. It was his classic, naïve, and trusting gaze that I had seen before, so I had no trouble deciphering his thoughts,” she continued.
“What a lovely message—such a sweet gesture!” I said as I read it aloud to Pujara.
“What’s the matter?” I enquired. “Nothing,” he answered in his most reserved manner. However, I didn’t believe it. I was well aware that Cheteshwar was generally hiding something when he fell fully silent. It happens all the time. Usually, it was the spouses of other players who told me about politics and gossip on the pitch, not him.
The three phrases that Cheteshwar used to describe his numerous journeys were consistent throughout my marriage: ‘We had practice, a team meeting, and then I returned to the room.’ Every day, every year, I had been subjected to the same routine lines. He was prepared to discuss anything but his work life. Sometimes I would question whether he was even aware of what was going on in the world around him,” she continued.
Cheteshwar laconically remarked, “This guy you’re praising wanted me kicked off the team for fitness issues.” I stared at him in amazement. Why didn’t you inform me sooner? Why did you endure it by yourself? He shrugged and said, “Such things happen, and not everything deserves a reaction.” What important is that I performed and played well. You don’t have to think about the situation too much. However, you should learn not to believe everything you read or hear on social media,” she said.
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