'I can't allow my wife to win': Cheteshwar Pujara talks about his competitive side when it comes to badminton

With all sporting events come to a standstill, athletes have nothing to do. India's top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara says he misses playing badminton on the outdoor courts.

Pujara said he used to enjoy badminton outdoors apart from cricket and now plays with his wife or with his Saurashtra team-mate Jaydev Unadkat.

"Usually when I am at home in Rajkot, we go and play badminton on weekends on proper courts. That is something I am missing," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Pujara as saying.

"With my wife - she wants to learn. At times if Jaydev Unadkat is in Rajkot, he is a decent badminton player, so I play with him," he added.

Pujara also revealed that he is very competitive when it comes to playing badminton and he cannot let anybody win.

"No, no. I can't allow my wife to win. I can't allow anyone to win against me at badminton. That is not possible. I've been telling her that she has to get better at it and win that way. I don't want to lose to make her happy that she has beaten me. As a sportsperson your mentality is to make sure that the other person becomes stronger than you," Pujara said.

Pujara was supposed to be in the UK, playing for Gloucestershire, at this time of year, but all plans have been tossed away due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He had signed a deal in February to represent the county for the first six matches of the championship. He was set to become Gloucestershire's first Indian player after Javagal Srinath in 1995.