‘We used to think, Bhai, tu jee kyu raha hai?’: Ishant Sharma sheds light on Cheteshwar Pujara’s nice guy image

Cheteshwar Pujara, the renowned Indian cricketer, has earned widespread praise for his composed demeanor on the pitch, which is reflected in his exceptional performance in Test Cricket. At 35 years old, Pujara is one of the most serious and focused members of the Indian team, rarely engaging in verbal sparring or any other distractions outside of cricket. Shedding light on Pujara’s “Nice Guy” persona, India’s fast bowler Ishant Sharma revealed that Pujara has been this way since his U-19 days.

Pujara is widely regarded as one of the nicest guys in international cricket, much like his idol Rahul Dravid. In a previous interview, Virat Kohli also revealed that Pujara is an extremely religious person. Ishant echoed this sentiment, stating that Pujara stays away from other distractions, unlike many other players his age.

“Pujji [Pujara] was like that from the start. From U-19 NCA days, he used to get up in the morning and do pooja and wear janeu (sacred thread). He still wears it. If you ask him certain [naughty] things, he would be like, ‘no this is wrong, I don’t do it’,” said Ishant on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel.

The Indian seamer went on to say that despite the passing of several years and the spiritual journeys of other players, Pujara has remained steadfast in his ways.

“We used to think, ‘Bhai, tu jee kyu raha hai?’ (Brother, why are you living?). Pujara is still like that, but we have changed with time. With time, I guess, everyone realizes that this [being spiritual] is also important,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pujara has been dropped from the Indian team due to his lackluster performance in the World Test Championship Final 2023. In the two innings, he only managed to score 14 and 27, which ultimately led to his removal from the team. It’s worth noting that the 35-year-old has been averaging 29.69 since 2020, with 1455 runs to his name.

As a result of Pujara’s departure, the Indian team has selected two promising young players, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, to join the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies.

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