Published 16:20 IST, February 24th 2021
HM Amit Shah wants Cheteshwar Pujara to score a match-winning 200 in Ahmedabad
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has expected Cheteshwar Pujara to score a double century and also win the contest for India in the third Test against England
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that he wishes to see Team India's solid number three batsman Cheteshwar Pujara score a double century and help India win against England in the ongoing third Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
While Amit Shah expects Pujara to play a memorable Test knock, he also recalled a few famous yet impactful performances from some of the icons of Indian cricket in the past at the same venue.
'I wish Pujara...': Amit Shah
"This stadium is very memorable for Javagal Srinath. He took six wickets against South Africa, on the same ground, Kapil Dev broke Richard's Hadlee tally of wickets. On this same ground, Sunil Gavaskar achieved the milestone of 10,000 runs. On this same ground, Sachin Tendulkar achieved 18,000 ODI runs and he completed his 20 years in international cricket here. I wish Pujara scores double century here and he helps India to win against England," said Amit Shah during the inauguration ceremony of the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday.
When Pujara last played against England in Ahmedabad, he had gone on to score a double century. The veteran Test specialist had scored an unbeaten 206 in the first Test against the Alastair Cook-led side during the 2012/13 season. Even though India had drawn first blood by winning that Test match riding on Pujara's double ton, a spirited English team staged a remarkable comeback by registering convincing wins in the next two Test matches that followed in Mumbai and Kolkata respectively.
The final Test that was contested in Nagpur ended in a stalemate as England sealed the four-match series 2-1.
Ahmedabad's Giant Motera Named 'Narendra Modi Stadium'
Ahead of the all-important third Test match between India and England, Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with President Kovind inaugurated the 'Narendra Modi Stadium' in Ahmedabad on Wednesday - the world's largest cricket stadium. Previously known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium which can accommodate over 110,000 spectators, was inaugurated by President Kovind, Home Minister Shah, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, and other dignitaries ahead of the India-England pink-ball day-night test match. Unveiling the stadium on Wednesday, Home Minister Amit Shah revealed the govt's plan to make Ahmedabad the sports capital of India and assured to provide all state-of-the-art facilities for sports in the state.
(With ANI Inputs)
Updated 16:20 IST, February 24th 2021