India Players Dine at Cheteshwar Pujara's Rajkot Home
India and South Africa play the third ODI in Rajkot on Sunday. MS Dhoni and team had a good time at Cheteshwar Pujara’s home on Thursday night.
They say cricket is a great leveller. Team India will say food is a greater leveller. He may not be part of the Indian ODI squad but Cheteshwar Pujara played perfect host to MS Dhoni and company at a dinner party in Rajkot on Thursday.
India and South Africa, tied 1-1 in the five-match ODI series, play in Rajkot on Sunday and what better way than home-cooked food to start match preparation with. The Indians looked a happy bunch and Pujara, having been part of the national squad on several tours, obviously knew the players' taste-buds. (Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Blitz, Axar Patel's Triple And an Umpiring Blunder: Five Key Moments That Helped India Win Indore ODI)
Most Indian players, common to all three formats, will be on the road for almost three months in the marathon series against South Africa. Men like Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin will virtually live out of their suitcases as the teams crisscross the country.
Pujara's invitation was probably god-send. A home-cooked daal-chawal is any day better than lining up for meals almost every day at five-star hotels.
Keeping security in mind, it has been a traditional for cricketers to host teammates whenever a match is played in their city. Stories like Ambati Rayudu hosting biryani parties for his skipper in Hyderabad are common in Indian cricket. In Kolkata, the Ganguly family has hosted national and international players several times. (Zaheer Khan a Tearaway Pacer Who Got Better With Age)
Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja are Saurashtra's pride. While Pujara is sure to make the Test squad - the first match will be played in Mohali from November 5 - Jadeja is trying to find his form back through domestic cricket.