When Cheteshwar Pujara landed in South Africa for the Indian Premier League this year, he had a spring in his stride. Top-scoring in Kolkata Knight Riders’s practice game against Eagles at Bloemfontein meant that one of domestic cricket’s top performers was ready to make an impact in the high-profile T20 event too.

But in a sudden twist of fate that saw him suffer a freak knee injury, he returned home in crutches, blowing his chance of being part of the cricket carnival. Pujara hasn't played a competitive game since April as injury, surgery and rehabilitation have tested his patience to the hilt.

As Saurashtra open their Ranji Trophy campaign on Tuesday against UP, the match might end Pujara’s longest break from cricket since the time he was an eight-year-old. He has been included in the squad, but as Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Shah says, “We will take a final call on him in the coming days. Chances are he will play on Tuesday.”

But the present optimism of those around Pujara is in contrast to the uncertainty of the last six months where the 21-year-old had been on an emotional roller-coaster. In the seas of fear, frustration and outright boredom, hope found it tough to float at times.

Recalling that traumatic moment of injury, Pujara drops his voice. “It was an internal KKR game and I was fielding at mid-on. I went for a catch but as it suddenly dropped, I had to change direction. That's when the spike got stuck in the soft ground and my knee twisted. Even those in the stands could have heard me crying in pain. At that moment, I even thought that my career was over,” he says.

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