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Shah Rukh Khan offered support to Pujara's family after he suffered an ACL injury early in his career

Shah Rukh Khan had a massive role to play in Cheteshwar Pujara's success early on in his career. Pujara made his Test debut for India in 2010 and went onto play for the next 13 years, featuring in over 100 Tests. However, the Saurashtra batter suffered a serious injury before it all began, with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan coming to his rescue.

In the book, Pujara's wife revealed that the middle order stalwart suffered a major ACL injury while on the field as a substitute. The fact that his career was halted without playing a single game for KKR was a tough pill to swallo. However, despite not featuing in a game, Shah Rukh Khan ensured Pujara got the right treatment. The franchise even arranged for his father to travel to ease their concerns.

“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 revealed in the book as per Times of India.

Pujara did not have the longest IPL career, with his energies focused on red ball cricket for more than a decade. He played 10 games of KKR in 2009/10 before another few handful of appearances with RCB and PBKS.

Pujara played a 103 Tests for India, scoring 7195 runs at an average of 43.60. His last Test was India's loss to Australia in the World Test Championship final. Pujara continued playing First Class cricket until 2025, before retiring earlier this year.