Rajkot was at its feet. There were smiles galore with a glint of expectations in the eye. Chants of Pujara reverbed in the SCA stadium for THAT one run. Their very own son, their favorite was batting one run short of a memorable three-figure mark. Chris Woakes to Pujara in the 81st over, a dab towards point and a sprint to the non-striker’s end was enough for Cheteshwar Pujara to show off the smile hiding behind the grills of his helmet. His family’s joy in the stands knew no bounds. His father clapped, his wife’s cheer seemed the loudest and the dressing room gave him a standing ovation. This was Pujara’s territory, his den, a ground he knew like from the back of his hand and getting a century in his own backyard in front of his loved ones felt special, confessed Pujara speaking to BCCI.TV. “It is a great feeling and to be honest, I was nervous when I was batting on 99. Before Tea, I had an opportunity but England bowled well to keep me on 99 and made me work hard to get to the hundred-run mark. This hundred means a lot to me. Before the match started there were a lot of expectations from the crowd, family and friends and after scoring a hundred, I believe I lived up to those expectations.” Having said that, Pujara said he didn’t want the hype to get to him. Instead he wanted to focus on the job at hand and go with the flow. “Before I started to bat, I told myself that this is like any other Test match which was important for the team. I went about my innings normally and played the way I wanted to. With England getting more than 500 on the board, it was important for us to get partnerships going and get big hundreds. We did lose a couple of wickets towards the end, but if we capitalise in the first session tomorrow, we have a chance of winning this Test.” It was classical Pujara on display. Lovely footwork, playing the patient game, playing each ball to its merit and once he got to his century, it felt like Pujara would get daddy hundreds that he is known for. 24 runs later, he edged one to Alastair Cook at slips ending his 204-ball stint at the crease, visibly dejected. “When I was batting on 99, I told myself that it was not about scoring that one run, it was about getting a hundred more runs. We need to score big and get a good lead so that we can have an edge over them when the ball starts turning on Day 5.” Pujara was hit thrice in one over by Woakes. He took the blows but continued to score at will thereafter. For Pujara, being mentally strong and some chit-chat with his batting partner Murali Vijay, helped. “You do get hit on the helmet at this level. Personally, I feel I play the bouncers well and it was just a case of misjudging those bouncers. I told myself that I wouldn’t lose my focus and wouldn’t give away my wicket. I respected his good spell and just wanted to see through it. Vijay told me that the ball was reversing and the bouncer was coming in towards my direction. He told me that I could play behind the line of the ball and if I could judge well, I could duck. The communication with Vijay was really good and we have been batting well together over the last few years. It was great batting with him. Continuing about Vijay, Pujara was in awe of the stylish opener who got to his century after 17 innings. “Vijay was always batting well and he was up for a big one and even in the last series, he missed out on a couple of centuries. At the end of New Zealand series, I walked up to him and said, ‘The England series is yours’. This is just the start of what I expected to happen. I just wanted to tell him that it was Rajkot and I deserved a century before you.” What was remarkable about the Pujara ton was the way he was getting those runs. At one stage he was batting on 60 with 48 of them coming off boundaries. A few innings back his strike-rate was being questioned and here was scoring at will. “I know this wicket well. I know the conditions and playing shots here come naturally. I have a triple and double hundred here. My plan was to not let them bowl in one area. I was feeling confident even in the nets and I thought I could easily go for my shots. I was comfortable throughout the innings. My preparations were up to the mark. I was riding high on confidence from the New Zealand series. I was trusting my strength and technique even when I was getting 70sand 80s receiving good backing from Anil Kumble. He instilled belief in me saying that I was batting well in the domestic cricket as well and it was just a matter of time that I converted starts into big scores. He advised me to bat normally which helped me a lot.” Just a few days back, Pujara’s father had told http://www.bcci.tv/news/2016/features-and-interviews/14768/a-sweet-homecoming-for-the-pujaras that his son would judiciously call him after each of his innings. This time he was in the stands applauding his son’s century. Will a meeting or a call with his father happen later in the night? “Firstly, he will congratulate me but he will still be disappointed that I got out on 124 and should have got a big one,” grinned Pujara.