On Friday, India batter Cheteshwar Pujara was given a Guard of Honour by his teammates as he entered the field to play his 100th Test match.
Skipper Rohit Sharma had a big smile when Pujara walked into the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Indian players clapped for Pujara and honoured him for his achievement.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also shared a video of Pujara getting the Guard of Honour on social media.
A guard of honour and a warm welcome for @cheteshwar1 on his 1⃣0⃣0⃣th Test 😃👌#TeamIndia | #INDvAUS | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/jZoY1mjctu
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2023
Speaking ahead of the start of the Test match against Australia, Pujara said that he had never thought of playing 100 Test matches for his country when he made his international debut.
Pujara further started that it was an honour to receive his special cap from legendary Sunil Gavaskar.
“It is an honour to receive this cap from you, legends like you have inspired me. I wanted to play for India as a youngster but I never thought I’d get to 100 Test matches. Test cricket is the ultimate format for me, it challenges you just like life. To all the youngsters, I’d encourage y’all to work hard to play Test cricket for India. I’d like to thank my wife, my family, everyone in BCCI and all my teammates who’ve supported me throughout this journey.”
The 35-year-old Pujara played his first Test match in 2010 and now has over 7,000 runs in the format, including 19 centuries. He is the eighth-leading run scorer for India in Test cricket and has more than 1900 runs against Australia in 21 matches.
Pujara, fondly called ‘Chintu’ by his teammates, also finished as the highest run scorer in the 2018-19 India tour of Australia, helping his side defeat the Aussies for the first time in their own den.
