The Kolkata Knight Riders’ co-owner and the Bollywood superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, has extended his support to the recently retired Indian player, Cheteshwar Pujara, during the latter’s serious knee injury in 2010, arranging for his surgery in Cape Town after the right-handed batter tore his cruciate ligament before featuring in a single game for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise. 

The injury occurred during a net session when Cheteshwar Pujara injured himself while attempting a catch, resulting in a ruptured ACL that derailed his career. Puja, wife of Pujara, looked back at the incident in her book, The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife, where she recalled how SRK helped Pujara massively during that tough period.

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“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.” She wrote in her book as the KKR franchise took the full responsibility for Pujara’s treatment.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s wife reveals story of how Shah Rukh Khan saved veteran’s career

Pujara retired from international cricket with 7195 runs in 176 innings at an average of 43.60 with the help of 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 206 runs. Pujara didn’t get a huge success in the IPL with 390 runs in 22 innings at 20.52 with a lone fifty.

“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 wife addressed.

In that opening season of the IPL for Pujara in 2009/10, he drilled 122 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 106.08. Overall, he has clubbed 1556 runs in 63 T20 innings at a strike rate of 112.18 with nine fifties and one century.