Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara brought the curtains down on his impressive India career on Sunday (August 24). A pillar of India’s Test team for over a decade, Pujara’s calm presence and unwavering focus made him one of the most dependable batters of his generation.
The 37-year-old represented India in 103 Tests, scoring 7195 runs at an average of 43.60 with the help of 19 hundreds and 35 half-centuries. The highlight of his career was the critical role he played in India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumphs on Australian soil in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Pujara’s retirement has reignited the debate over star players not being given a farewell match in recent times. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also hung up their boots from Test cricket in the last nine months, without getting a fitting farewell.
Pujara’s last appearance for India was in 2023 during the World Test Championship Final against Australia at The Oval. Subsequently, he fell out of favour with the national selectors.
Despite not being part of India's Test set-up, Pujara continued playing Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra and county cricket for Sussex. However, he was overlooked for the challenging tours of Australia and England.
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri has claimed that Cheteshwar Pujara opted to retire out of frustration, similar to Kohli and Rohit. He also slammed the BCCI for not giving proper farewell to the aforementioned names.
“It’s possible, he [Pujara] may have retired out of frustration. After representing the country for so long, if a player is not getting chances, anyone will be frustrated. Similarly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma must have felt that frustration too before the recent England tour. The BCCI may have their own ideas, but ultimately, the player suffers. These players are not demanding crores of rupees. It’s all about honour and they all deserved that farewell Test, 110 per cent," Ghavri told Mid-day.
According to Ghavri, players who have featured in 100 or more Tests deserve a farewell match.
“All those who have played 100 Tests, should be honoured with a farewell match. The BCCI should have given that honour to Kohli, Rohit and Pujara as they thoroughly deserved it considering their huge contribution to the game. No one wants to end their career like this. If someone has represented the country in 100 or more Tests, it is most definitely a sizeable contribution. He [Pujara] belongs to that distinguished list of players,” he remarked.
Beyond his international exploits, Cheteshwar Pujara built a monumental legacy in domestic cricket. In 278 first-class appearances, he aggregated 21,301 runs at an average of 51.82, including 66 centuries and 81 fifties.
A true red-ball specialist, Pujara also left a notable mark in List A cricket, scoring 5759 runs from 130 matches with 16 tons and 34 half-centuries. However, he received only five chances to prove his worth in ODIs for India.
