Rajkot, Feb 15 (IANS): Indian stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja were felicitated by the Saurashtra Cricket Association on the eve of the third Test between India and England that will begin on Thursday in Rajkot.
In honor of administrator Niranjan Shah, the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium was christened Niranjan Shah Stadium. Before representing the Indian side, Pujara and Jadeja were teammates while playing first-class cricket for Saurashtra. The two hitters reminisced about their days of playing together for Saurashtra at the under-14 division.
"I still remember when I started learning this game. This is my home town and when I first played for Saurashtra at the U14 level, Ravindra and I were together. I got selected for the U14 team. I was sad that I was going away from home and that's when I didn't want to play cricket as I was missing my family. Being a kid, I couldn't stay away from my family. That's how the journey started," Pujara said at the ceremony.
"I really wanted to play this game and that's how the journey started, and it has been remarkable for me. There are many teammates here and coaches who have been a part of my journey. So I would like to thank all of them. It's been a great journey and SC has progressed immensely over the years. There have been wonderful memories over here. It's been a great journey so far."
But from those humble beginnings emerged a cricketer hailed as the "marathon man" of Team India. Pujara's 103 Test matches, adorned with 19 centuries and 35 fifties, bore testament to his resilience and unwavering determination. Even in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Pujara has scored 673 runs in six outings thus far at an incredible average of 74.77 with the aid of two centuries, including a highest score of 243* against Jharkhand.
Beside him stood Ravindra Jadeja, the quintessential all-rounder whose prowess knew no bounds. With 280 wickets and 2893 runs in 69 Test matches, he is also the No. 1 ranked Test all-rounder in the ICC rankings.
"I think we played together in the U14 tournament. I think if I am not wrong, we played in Pune, right? Pujara has a great memory, so I think he knows everything. In the Ranji Trophy, I scored a triple hundred against Railway. That will be one of my memories as a batter. I took many fifers on this ground as well as the old one. There have been plenty of memories with Pujara and Saurashtra Cricket Association," Jadeja said in the felicitation ceremony.