Cricket enthusiasts and fans sent heartfelt birthday wishes to experienced Indian Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Thursday (January 25). Pujara’s most recent on-field presence was observed during the Ranji Trophy match between Saurashtra and Vidarbha earlier this week.
Despite this, he has been consistently overlooked by the Indian team selectors in recent red-ball series. His last appearance for India was in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June last year.
Cheteshwar Pujara was not considered for selection in the Test series against West Indies, South Africa, and the current series against England. In his absence, the team management and selectors have chosen the young Shubman Gill for the number 3 position.
During his break from international cricket, Pujara participated in the County Championship and Ranji Trophy. Recently, he achieved the milestone of becoming the fourth Indian cricketer to surpass 20,000 runs in first-class cricket, joining the esteemed company of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid.
On Pujara’s 36th birthday, members of the cricket community and fans swiftly conveyed their best wishes on social media platforms. Gautam Gambhir, his former Indian teammate, initiated the wishes with a post on X, and others quickly followed suit in extending warm birthday greetings to Pujara.
Here are a few of the wishes:
Happy birthday, Cheteshwar Pujara ππ#CheteshwarPujara #India #Cricket #INDvsENG #Tests pic.twitter.com/DzHLWHiyBx
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) January 25, 2024
Happy Birthday to INDIA'S TEST CRICKET LEGENDππ₯ #Cheteshwarpujara pic.twitter.com/oMssvK3TKV
— Chhaya (@Chhaya2610) January 24, 2024
Here's celebrating #TeamIndia's batter, #CheteshwarPujara's birthday with a nod to India's first-ever Test series win in Australia back in 2018-19! ππ#Cricket #HappyBirthdayCheteshwarPujara pic.twitter.com/TbaUR8LHey
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 25, 2024
A very #HappyBirthday to the
Great International Cricketer π @cheteshwar1#CheteshwarPujara#THEWALL pic.twitter.com/16LoHpK5lW— Adv. Deepali Shah (@deepalishah100) January 25, 2024
A pillar of Indian cricket in recent years! Wishing @cheteshwar1 a very happy birthday! π#CheteshwarPujara pic.twitter.com/qHpgoL7i2X
— 100MB (@100MasterBlastr) January 25, 2024
Wishing you a very happy birthday @cheteshwar1!
May your day be filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments. Wishing you a year ahead as wonderful and inspiring as you are.
Keep shining! ππΉ: @cheteshwar1 & @ESPNcricinfo#NustartSports #CheteshwarPujara #HappyBirthday pic.twitter.com/u6hTwP3cqS
— NuStart Sports (@NustartSports) January 25, 2024
ππ‘π π°ππ«π«π’π¨π« π¦π¨π§π€! πͺ
Here's wishing former Sher and #TeamIndiaβs rock, Cheteshwar Pujara, a very #HappyBirthday and a smashing year ahead. π#CheteshwarPujara #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/FtoqgHkRgr
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) January 25, 2024
Hereβs wishing a happy 36th birthday to #CheteshwarPujara, one of the chief architects of Indiaβs historic Test series wins on Australian soil in 2018-19 and 2020-21.#HappyBirthdayPujara pic.twitter.com/B5U5HEGwfr
— Circle of Cricket (@circleofcricket) January 25, 2024
“Because of him, India won Tests in Australia and England”- Harbhajan Singh on Cheteshwar Pujara
Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh recently expressed his support for Cheteshwar Pujara and voiced his disapproval of the selectors’ decision to exclude him from the Test team. Addressing the issue in a video on his YouTube channel, he commented:
“If you look at the previous record Pujara has the same contribution as Kohli had. I don’t understand why Pujara has been left out, we still don’t have a better batter than Pujara in Test cricket. He plays slowly but he saves you, because of him India won Tests in Australia and England.β
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