Cheteshwar Pujara’s wife, Puja, has opened up about how Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan came to their rescue after the cricketer’s devastating 2009 injury.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2010 IPL season, found himself sidelined before the tournament even began. Despite his initial excitement, Pujara was unable to feature in a single match due to a severe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
The ACL injury is notorious for ending many athletes’ careers, leaving Pujara’s future in cricket uncertain.
However, in a surprising revelation, Pujara’s wife, Puja, shared how Shah Rukh Khan’s intervention played a pivotal role in the cricketer’s recovery.
According to Puja, the Bollywood megastar was incredibly supportive during their difficult time. Khan reassured Pujara that his career was far from over and that he had a bright future ahead. He even went a step further by ensuring that the cricketer received the best medical care.
“Destiny impelled him to dash heedlessly to a ball for a catch that was never there; and the result: a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, an impending surgery and a temporarily halted cricketing career — all without playing a single game for KKR,” Cheteshwar’s wife, Puja Pujara, wrote in The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife.
“Shah Rukh also told me that Chintu had a great future ahead of him and should have the best available medical treatment. When he realised I was worried about the absence of a support system in South Africa and my faith in Dr Shah’s abilities, he offered to fly him and any family members I wanted with me,” Pujara’s father is quoted as saying in the book.
“We’ll also fly down anyone you want for the surgery. We’ll pay them here so that you have your own people around you,” a representative told Pujara’s family, as mentioned in the book.
