Cheteshwar Is Spiritual Man: Father Arvind Pujara On Eve Of 100th Test

It was in 2006 when Cheteshwar Pujara had called up his mother Reena after finishing a district-level game and asked her to tell his father Arvind to pick him up from the Rajkot bus stand. On arrival at the bus stand, he didn't see his dad but a relative who informed him about his mother's death. Cheteshwar Pujara's pain threshold has always been quite high. The body blows inflicted by the Australia pacers or the tragedy of his beloved mother's untimely demise have shaken him to the core, but they haven't been able to break his resolve.

As he stands on the cusp of his 100th Test, the quiet warrior of Indian cricket has done his ilk proud. He is one of the few determined introverts who do end up winning the race.

"In any sport, 100 matches is no mean feat. You need a lot of dedication and discipline, fitness, proper diet. All these combined help in your longevity in international cricket. And, yes, a bit of luck," Arvind Pujara told PTI during an interaction from his Rajkot residence.

Being a father and also his illustrious son's only coach and sounding board, Arvind bhai is certainly a proud man but would never express his happiness.

Cheteshwar is 35 now. It has been a 27-year journey that started when a former Saurashtra first-class cricketer Arvind saw a bit of spark in his eight-year-old son and started coaching him.

He also took his son to Mumbai and sought former India cricketer and respected coach Karsan Ghavri's opinion on whether he should devote more time on his son's development as a player. The answer was in the affirmative and the nondescript Railway Colony ground was witness to history.

"When I started off (coaching Cheteshwar), there was no target as such in mind and also it is not fair to assume anything.