Arvind Pujara couldn't watch his son Cheteshwar's epic SCG knock due to a heart procedure

The world has changed a lot for Cheteshwar Pujara in the last one month during which he has hit three memorable hundreds for India on Australian soil. No other Indian batsman apart from captain Virat Kohli had shown such consistency with the bat in the recent past. Pujara’s phenomenal show which has helped India taking giant strides towards winning their maiden Test series Down Under could also see his central contract with the Indian cricket board getting updated.

However, while the country and the cricketing world remained glued to the display of the new wall of Indian cricket, his father and coach Arvind missed out on watching the 193 that he scored at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the fourth and final Test of the series. On Thursday, when Cheteshwar was inching closer to his double hundred in Sydney, his wife Puja was taking his father to the Holy Family Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai.

Arvind flew in to Mumbai

Arvind, a former first-class cricketer and his famed son’s coach since he was seven, had abnormally high heart rate and had to fly out of Rajkot for a cardiac procedure, as advised Mumbai-based specialist Dr Yash Lokhandwala.

The 68-year-old though was relieved about the procedure to regularise the heart’s rhythm, he was more keen to discuss Pujara’s splendid innings at the SCG. “I have been hearing people praise my son from across the world. It’s very heartening, if anybody had any doubt about his batting it’s all cleared. I will go home watch the replays,” the Indian Express quoted him as saying.

“On Day 1 of the Test we had watched him grind it out in the first session at our home at Rajkot. After that we had a flight to catch, once we landed we came to know that he was approaching his 100. That’s when he was smashing the balls and hitting fours. That bit we followed on my phone,” Puja, who did not go to Australia because of their infant daughter, said.

The batsman was also aware about his father’s health. Arvind said his son was told by the doctors that it would be wise to finish the procedure as early as possible and after he was convinced, it went ahead. That Cheteshwar played the wonderful innings with his father’s health in mind made it all the more evident that the batsman has a steely will and focus when it comes to scoring runs.

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