Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Jun 7: Out-of-favour Indian Test veteran Cheteshwar Pujara recently revealed a hair-raising experience from India's A tour of the West Indies in 2012, where he was mobbed while hunting for a vegetarian meal late at night.
Speaking at a book launch event, Pujara, known for his composed demeanour and staunch vegetarianism, shared the incident after Indian skipper Rohit Sharma nudged him into narrating the story.
"I'm a vegetarian. So we were looking for a vegetarian meal at night. It was in Trinidad and Tobago around 11 PM. We didn’t find the food, but while walking back, I got mobbed," Pujara said, hinting that the details were too intense to share publicly.
Rohit chimed in with a chuckle, adding, "Moral of the story is, sometimes he can be stubborn. We warned him, ‘Don’t go out after 9 PM. This is the West Indies.’”
The incident, though years old, resurfaced as fans continued to debate Pujara’s exclusion from India’s Test squad for the upcoming five-match series in England. Despite a solid domestic season — scoring 402 runs in seven Ranji Trophy games — the selectors chose to look beyond the 36-year-old stalwart.
Pujara, once India’s wall in the longest format, was dropped after the WTC Final loss to Australia in 2023 and has since found it hard to break back in.
Meanwhile, the squad for the England series is led by Shubman Gill, with Rishabh Pant as vice-captain. Other key names include KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav.
As for Pujara, his story stands as a reminder of the unpredictable turns in an international career — both on and off the field.