Cheteshwar Pujara’s wife, Puja Pujara, has revealed in her book ‘The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife’ that her husband overheard discussions about dropping him from the Melbourne Test during India’s 2018-19 tour of Australia, despite his strong performance in the series opener and dealing with both a hamstring injury and his father’s medical emergency.
Pujara had started the series strongly with a century and half-century in Adelaide, helping India take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. However, he developed a hamstring injury before the second Test in Perth.
During this period, Pujara’s father, Arvind, suffered a fall and needed immediate hospitalization, requiring an emergency heart procedure. Despite these personal challenges, Pujara kept his father’s condition private from the team.
The Perth Test proved difficult for Pujara, who managed only 28 runs across both innings as India lost by 146 runs. The period between the second and third Tests was particularly challenging for him.
Puja revealed that while resting his injured hamstring, Pujara accidentally overheard a conversation about his potential exclusion from the team.
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“Cheteshwar made the most of his three-day break and did not step out of his room much. He alternated between resting his afflicted limb and getting his strained hamstring treated. On the lone occasion when he did, he overheard someone engaged in an intense conversation on the telephone, stating that he did not want my husband to play in the coming match because he was unfit. It was an unpleasant incident. But Cheteshwar gave no sign that he had accidentally become privy to the said exchange. Neither did he tell anyone about Papa’s medical condition,” Puja wrote in her book.
The incident only came to light much later during a conversation about birthday wishes on social media.
“I only learnt of the incident accidentally on Cheteshwar’s birthday after the tour was over. It was around half-past-two in the afternoon, the lights were off and the room was quite dark. Aditi was napping and Cheteshwar and I were reclining on our bed as I scrolled through our social media pages reading out birthday greetings. One message posted on Instagram was particularly effusive and touching. I read it out aloud to Cheteshwar, remarking, ‘Such a sweet gesture—what a lovely message!’ There was complete silence. He did not say a word. Puzzled, I looked up from my phone and caught a most peculiar expression on Cheteshwar’s face—one that was simultaneously secretive and pitying. I had no trouble translating his mind — it was his vintage you’re-so-naïve-and-trusting look I had seen it before and was therefore quite familiar with it.”
Puja persisted in questioning her husband about his reaction, leading to a revealing conversation.
“What’s wrong,’ I asked. ‘Nothing,’ he said, at his taciturn best. But I was not buying it. I knew quite well that when Cheteshwar went completely quiet, it usually meant he was concealing something. It was a frequent occurrence. I usually learnt of on-field gossip and politics from other players’ wives, never from him. Throughout my marriage, Cheteshwar’s description of his various trips had been limited to three unvarying sentences: ‘We had practice, a team meeting and then I returned to the room.’ Day in and day out, year after year, I had been treated to the same standard lines. He was ready to talk about everything but his professional life. There were times when I would wonder if he even knew what was happening in the world around him.”
Finally, Pujara revealed the truth about the social media message.
“‘This guy you’re praising,’ commented Cheteshwar laconically, ‘wanted me to be dropped from the team because of fitness issues.’ I gaped at him. ‘Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why did you go through it alone?’ ‘Such things happen,’ he shrugged, ‘and not everything deserves a reaction. I played and played well and that’s what matters. You don’t need to dwell too much on the incident. But it’s important that you learn not to trust everything that takes place on social media.'”
Despite these challenges, Pujara went on to be named Player of the Series as India secured their first away Test series victory on Australian soil.
