In the long history of Indian Test batting, few players have carried India's middle order through hostile overseas innings as Cheteshwar Pujara has. The Rajkot-born son of a Saurashtra Ranji cricketer and a homemaker mother who passed away when he was 17, who has scored more Test runs against quality fast bowling than any of his contemporaries in his peak years, and who, as the second-most-runs Indian in the famous 2021 Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, bore the physical brunt of that historic 2-1 win — is the spiritual heir to Rahul Dravid as India's Test-match wall. Behind every quietly grafted hundred sat a small Saurashtra cricket household and a marketing-professional wife.
The Family's Roots: The Gujarati Brahmin Family of Rajkot
The Pujara family belongs to the Gujarati Brahmin community of Rajkot, Saurashtra. Cheteshwar was born in Rajkot on 25 January 1988.
His Father: Arvind Pujara
Arvind Pujara was himself a Saurashtra Ranji Trophy cricketer in the 1980s — a left-arm spinner. After his playing career he became Cheteshwar's first and primary coach, dedicating his post-retirement years entirely to his son's cricket.
His Mother: Reena Pujara
Reena Pujara passed away in 2005 when Cheteshwar was 17 — a foundational loss that has been the subject of many of Cheteshwar's most personal interviews.
His Wife: Puja Pabari Pujara
Puja Pabari Pujara is a marketing professional from Pune. She and Cheteshwar married on 13 February 2013 in Rajkot.
Their Daughter: Aditi Pujara
Cheteshwar and Puja have one daughter, Aditi Pujara, born August 2018.
The Pujara Family Tree at a Glance
Community / Origins
- Gujarati Brahmin community of Rajkot
Parents
- Father: Arvind Pujara — Saurashtra Ranji cricketer (left-arm spinner); Cheteshwar's coach
- Mother: Reena Pujara (died 2005) — homemaker
Cheteshwar Pujara
- Born 25 January 1988, Rajkot
- Saurashtra Ranji debut at 17 (2005)
- Test debut: 9 October 2010 vs Australia, Bangalore
- 100+ Tests; 7,000+ Test runs
- 19 Test centuries; iconic role in 2018-19 and 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar wins in Australia
- 2018-19 BGT Player of the Series (most runs by an Indian)
- Padma Shri (2014); Arjuna Award (2013)
Wife: Puja Pabari Pujara
- Marketing professional; from Pune
- Married Cheteshwar on 13 February 2013
Children
- Aditi Pujara (b. August 2018)
What the Pujara Family Story Teaches Us
A Ranji-cricketer father who turned coach. A mother lost at 17. A marketing-professional wife from Pune. A daughter born in the middle of one of the longest Test careers in modern Indian cricket. The Pujara family tree is small, intentional, and built on one father's full-time investment in his son's cricket.
For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Pujara story carries the same lesson. The parent who chose to coach you matters as much as the parent who fed you. Sometimes those are the same person, sometimes they are not. Either way, write them down.
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