IND vs AUS: Cheteshwar Pujara receives guard of honour from teammates ahead of 100th Test

Team India's marathon man Cheteshwar Pujara had a beaming smile on his face before entering the arena for his 100th red-ball game for his country. The middle-order bulwark received a warm welcome from his teammates, who gave the 35-year-old a guard of honour as he made his way to the ground.

Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been the rock for the team in the middle order, went through a troublesome 2022 after he was dropped from the series against Bangladesh due to his lean run with the bat. However, the stubborn batter, much like his batting, took the criticism head-on and rediscovered his form after a stint in county cricket. 

Pujara's teammates and head coach Rahul Dravid congratulated the veteran cricketer ahead of his landmark appearance, and the Gujarat-borne cricketer received a guard honour from his compatriots as he made his way to the ground. Australian oepners David Warner and Usman Khawaja also applauded the Indian ace on reaching the milestone. An emotional Pujara received a hug from skipper Rohit Sharma and had a proud smile while posing for the team picture.

A guard of honour and a warm welcome for @cheteshwar1 on his 1⃣0⃣0⃣th Test 😃👌#TeamIndia | #INDvAUS | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/jZoY1mjctu

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2023

The batting ace ended his century drought in the longest format of the game after compiling a match winning ton against Bangladesh in December 2022. His batting style has drawn a fair amount of criticism in the past, but the unassuming cricketer has won over his critics with his stubbornness in the face of adversity.

Playing in his 100th game, the Saurashtra man has amassed 7021 runs, averaging 44.15 with 19 centuries to his name. He becomes the 13th Indian cricketer to represent his nation in 100 Test matches, joining the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, head coach Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly, in an elite list of players.

Coming to the match, India made just one change to the team as Shreyas Iyer returns to the playing after recovering from his injury, replacing Suryakumar Yadav. Meanwhile, Australia have gone with just one pace bowler in skipper Pat Cummins, welcoming left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann into the side, replacing Scott Boland.

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