The India captain, Rohit Sharma, has recalled an incident from 2012, where Cheteshwar Pujara ignored a piece of advice and faced consequences during India’s A Tour of the West Indies.

Pujara had a distinguished career in red-ball cricket, earning a reputation as a batter, placing an immense value on his wicket. This resolute approach to batting, characterised by an unwillingness to be easily dismissed, has been the bedrock of his success.

He has represented 103 Test caps for India, during which he has amassed 7195 runs, including 19 centuries.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s remarkable endurance at the crease has been instrumental in securing significant victories for India in challenging overseas tours, notably in the West Indies, Australia, and South Africa.

His renowned stubbornness isn’t limited to the cricket pitch. Former India test captain Rohit Sharma has recently shared an amusing anecdote that unveiled another dimension of Pujara’s unyielding nature.

He revealed the incident occurred during the book launch of ‘The Diary Of A Cricketer’s Wife’ written by Pujara’s wife.

“I’m a vegetarian, so we were looking for a vegetarian meal at night and it was in TNT (Trinidad and Tobago) where we went out at 11 in the evening. So, we didn’t find the meal but when we were walking back, I was mobbed. I can’t tell you in detail about it but that’s the story he’s referring to,” Pujara said.

Rohit Sharma summed it up saying, “Moral of the story, sometimes he can be stubborn. We told him, we warned him, don’t go in the night. Don’t go outside after 9pm, this is the West Indies.”

He revealed that Pujara’s reputation for being a formidable opponent was established very early in their careers.

In fact, even as far back as their time competing to the singular topic of how to break through Pujara’s defense and claim his wicket.

“I still remember, team meetings only revolved around him (on) how to get him out, and if we don’t get him out, probably we’d lose the game. All I remember is that when I used to go to the ground, when I was 14-years-old, and when I came back in the evening, the color of my face would be completely different,” Hitman further stated.

“My mom used to ask me ‘You looked different when you left for the match and after you are back, you look like something else.’ I used to tell ‘Mom, there is this batsman called Cheteshwar Pujara. He keeps on batting for three days and we keep fielding during the entire time,’” he concluded.