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Star Indian players Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja were felicitated by the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) ahead of the third Test between India and England at Rajkot.
At the SCA stadium, now renamed after former the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and SCA secretary Niranjan Shah, Saurashtra cricketers were honoured by the association for delivering incredible performances in domestic cricket and making the country proud at international level as international level. A notable achievement of Saurashtra is winning the Ranji Trophy 2022-23, under the leadership of Jaydev Unadkat. Speaking after being felicitated, Jadeja recalled his fondest memories with Pujara "We played together for Saurashtra in Pune in an U14 tournament. My favourite memory at this stadium is a triple century against Railways (in 2012). I have also taken many five-wicket hauls here at this stadium." Reminiscing on his interactions with Niranjan, Jadeja talked about how he would always want the all-rounder to take a five-wicket haul. "He used to always tell me that 'hey, take a five-wicket haul'. I would tell him that it is not always possible as sometimes wickets are flat. I am really happy for him. He is one of the backbones of SCA," said Jadeja. In 69 Tests, Jadeja has scored 2,893 runs at an average of 36.16, with three centuries and 20 fifties. He has also taken 280 wickets. Across all international formats, Jadeja has played 332 matches, scoring 6,129 runs at an average of 32.95, with three centuries and 33 fifties. He also has 553 wickets at international level, making him one of the most decorated all-rounders ever. Pujara also talked about initially missing his family while playing cricket after his selection at U14 level for Saurashtra. "I still remember when I started learning this game. This is my home ground. I first played at the U14 level. I was sad to go away from home and missed my family, and could not stay away from them. But I wanted to play this game. It has been a remarkable journey," said Pujara. The batter also thanked teammates, coaches, groundsmen and administrators for their contribution to Saurashtra Cricket. Pujara has been the backbone of India's Test middle-order over the years, scoring 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, with 19 centuries and 35 fifties. He has also five ODIs for India, scoring 51 runs. England Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday named the playing eleven for the third Test match against India in Rajkot, as pacer Mark Wood replaced Shoaib Bashir in the playing squad. The series is currently level at 1-1. "The Three Lions have made one change with Mark Wood replacing Shoaib Bashir," the statement from ECB said. Skipper Ben Stokes will play his 100th Test match for England at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. "Captain Ben Stokes is set to make his 100th Test appearance in Rajkot," it added. The third Test will commence on February 15 in Rajkot while the fourth Test kickstarts in Ranchi on February 23 The fifth and final Test of the series will be played in Dharamsala from March 7. Heading into the third Test India will be without the experienced wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul as the player was ruled out of the match. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday named Devdutt Padikkal as Rahul's replacement for the third Test. England's Playing Eleven: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson. India's updated Squad for the third Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal. (ANI)
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