Never thought I'd play hundred Tests: Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of his 100th Test

The veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara said that he never thought that he will be playing the 100th Test match for India when he started his career and added that he hopes to lift the ICC World Test Championship trophy for his countryPujara has enjoyed a stellar 13year career with India and is all set to play his 100th Test in Delhi on FridayThe second Test of the series will be held in Delhis Arun Jaitley Stadium from February 17 to 21 Delhi is hosting its first Test since December 2017 India have 10 lead in the BorderGavaskar Trophy seriesWhen I started playing cricket and then made my Test debut I never thought about playing hundred Test matches For me it is always about being in the present and not thinking too far ahead So for me I thought before this series started and thats when I realised that I will be playing my hundredth Test match In a career you always go through ups and downs and you have to fight through those periods Cheteshwar Pujara said in the prematch press conference on ThursdayIndia must win the second Test against Australia in Delhi which begins on Friday to maintain their lead in the Test rankings and come closer to qualifying for the World Test Championship final in June To qualify for the final India must win the series 31 or 30Also Read ICC Mens Test Rankings Axar Jadeja Ashwin make advances following heroics against Australia Rohit climbs to 8th spotWhen Pujara takes to the field against Australia in the second Test at Delhi from February 17 onwards he will become only the 13th player to reach the landmark of 100 Test matches for India The most number of Test matches in cricket is played by legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who is the only cricketer to have played 200 matches in the longer formatThere is a lot more to achieve I am definitely satisfied and really excited to play this hundredth Test match But at the same time we are playing an important series So hopefully we win this Test match and move on to win another Test match which will ensure we will qualify for the WTC final My dream is to win a WTC final for the Indian team which didnt happen in the last final But hopefully once we qualify we move towards that he addedPujara has played 99 Tests so far He has scored 7021 runs at an average of 4415 in his 13yearlong Test career having made his debut in 2010 He has a total of 19 centuries and 34 fifties in the format with the best score of 206 In five matches last year he scored 409 runs at an average of 4544 One century and three fifties came out of his bat last year with the best score of 102Pujara also expressed gratitude for the support of his friends family and coaches throughout his life especially his father Arvind who has been his coach since he was a little child and will be present on Friday when he plays in his 100th Test matchIt means a lot to me and my family My father has played a very important role in my cricketing career Hes someone who has coached me since my childhood so hes very excited and is going to be here tomorrow with my wife whos been very supportive Pujara saidIn a cricketers life family support is very important and I am very thankful to my family friends to the coaches whom I have worked with over some time and who have played a very important role in my cricketing career said the veteran batterAsked about his style and approach to hitting and the way to finding success Pujara responded that it was not simple and patience was crucialPatience does not come on its own you need mental strength for that Preparations is the key I scored runs at junior cricket age group cricket It requires hard work Over a period of time and I think when you focus on your game eventually you will succeed Pujara saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever