One of the greatest Test cricketers for Team India in the current era, Cheteshwar Pujara turns 33 years of age today and the entire cricketing fraternity of the country hopped online to wish the batsman on his birthday.

However, it was Dinesh Karthik’s  wish that stole the show and even made the birthday boy chuckle a bit.

Happy birthday to the rock of RAJKOT!#HappyBirthdayPujara pic.twitter.com/umNuDthHu8

— DK (@DineshKarthik) January 25, 2021

Calling him the ‘Rock of Rajkot’, Karthik described Pujara’s incredible patience and unshaken focus that makes him one of the most frustrating batsmen in the world the bowlers have to face during the gruelling five-day Test matches.

His ability to stick to the crease against even the most aggressive bowling attack out there and allowing the rest of Team India’s batting lineup for a long and successful innings has earned him the stature of ‘The Wall 2.0’ based on a similar play style of the legendary Rahul Dravid.

Here’s how some of the other members of his squad wished him as well:

Happy birthday pujji @cheteshwar1. Wish you good health, happiness and more hours at the crease . Have a great year ahead.

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 25, 2021

The only 'common factor' in back to back series wins in Australia! #HappyBirthdayPujara You have proved to the new generation that not only quality of runs but spending quality time at crease is as important. Have a great year ahead #CheteshwarPujara @cheteshwar1 pic.twitter.com/dvQU08hdFc

— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) January 25, 2021

Happy birthday @cheteshwar1! They don't make them like you anymore. #HappyBirthdayPujara pic.twitter.com/DfUMVwWRNR

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 25, 2021

He takes body blows
Grinds it out in the middle
Braves it all & stands tall

81 Tests
6111 runs
13572 balls faced
18 hundreds

Here's wishing #TeamIndia's Mr. Dependable @cheteshwar1 a very happy birthday

Let's relive one of his fine tons against Sri Lanka

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 25, 2021

During India’s recently concluded Test series in Australia, Pujara played an extremely important role of anchoring a bruised and battered Indian cricket team over the four Test matches in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, respectively.

However his most memorable innings of the tour came at the very end at The Gabba when he endured a total of 10 nasty hits all over his body, was clearly in immense pain but still somehow managed to stick to the crease and enable his partners to play aggressively.

The ball after Pujara pulls away at the final second because of a butterfly, Hazlewood asks if his vision was still impaired. Caring stuff from the big quick pic.twitter.com/e48z1xd6dd

— Nick Toovey (@OneTooves) January 19, 2021

In India’s second innings in the final Test, Pujara became a big-red target for the Australian pacers. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were unforgiving in delivering body-line bouncers and beamers despite the batsman’s discomfort.

In the penultimate session of the day, a Hazlewood delivery even ended up breaking Pujara’s but instead of checking up on the health of the batter, the Aussie tried sledging him but his words fell on deaf ears as Pujara kept batting calmly.

Ouch! Pujara rips his glove off after copping one flush on the glove!

Live #AUSvIND: https://t.co/qvYTMSiZsl pic.twitter.com/xXLuC0jcEa

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 19, 2021

Another incident saw the ball strike on the batsman’s finger, again bowled by Hazlewood. This time, Pujara instantly threw the bat away, removed his gloves and crashed on the ground in agonising pain.

Over the years, the Gabba Test performance might be looked at as “the match in which Rishabh Pant established himself as a world-class batsman” but here’s hoping that Cheteshwar Pujara’s silent yet crucial contribution towards India’s winning cause doesn’t get overlooked.

View the full article