Rohit Sharma admits to internal dispute with Cheteshwar Pujara in Team India

Veteran Team India cricketer Rohit Sharma recently recalled a humorous story from his early cricketing days with Cheteshwar Pujara. The 38-year-old batter said that he would fight with Pujara over who would take the uncomfortable fielding positions at short leg or silly point in Test matches.

Rohit Sharma recently announced his retirement from the format after a poor run with the bat in Tests, where he averaged below 11 across his last 10 innings. He will continue to represent India in ODIs. Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara hasn’t featured for the national cricket team since 2023.

We Fought Amongst Each Other - Rohit Sharma on Cheteshwar Pujara

At the launch event of The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife, written by Cheteshwar Pujara's wife Puja, Rohit Sharma said that Pujara used to claim he needed more rest. However, the roles reversed when Rohit began opening the innings, and he told Pujara it was now his turn.

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"We fought amongst each other, who will take the short leg, who will take the silly point," Rohit chuckled.

"and Pujji [Pujara] used to be like 'I'm No.3, so I need to rest more than you'. So you take that because I used to bat at No.5 and 6. And then we decided among us..."

"But it turned around later when he started opening in Tests. Then he said, 'Now I'm the opener, so you go stand at short leg!' I had no answer - I just went," Pujara said.

I Still Remember My Mother's Advice - Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara recalled losing his mother at the age of 17 and spoke about the unwavering support he received from his family. Pujara also remembered his mother’s words that he would one day play for India.

Pujara said, "I lost my mom and I was 17. But the kind of support my parents gave me when I was young and to relive those moments, because she (Puja) has described this thing really, really well."

"I still remember from my mother's advice that what you do in your life, and she was very confident that I'll end up playing for the country, she told me that you have to be a good human being first."

The Support of My Mother and Father Has Been Immense - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma also spoke about the constant support and sacrifices his parents made throughout his life. He admitted that while he didn’t fully appreciate it when he was younger, with time, he has come to truly understand and value what his parents endured to help them succeed.

Rohit said, "Since the day I was born to now, the support of my mother and father has been immense. I know the sacrifices they've made for me and my brother to do what we needed to do in our lives.

"But when you sit back and think about it, you really appreciate, you know what the parents go through. When you're at that age, you don't realise, but now, when I sit back and think about it, you understand," he said.

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