Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from Indian cricket 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.
Reflecting on his retirement call, Pujara said he didn’t want to hold a spot in the team and felt it was the best time for him to move on.
“When I was in the UK, I was actually looking forward to the season. But once I came back home, I was settling in. And when I was about to start my preparation for the Ranji Trophy, I wanted to speak to my family, to my friends, some of my colleagues. What are their thoughts on me playing this season," Pujara was quoted as saying to PTI.
“Because I knew that if I played another season, I would be holding a spot in the team and I didn’t want to do that. And I wasn’t 100 per cent sure that I wanted to carry on playing the entire season."
“So I thought that it was the best time for me to move on and provide an opportunity to the younger player who can be part of the Saurashtra team," he added.
Regarding Kohli’s comment that Pujara made life easier for him at No. 4, the latter said: “It’s a nice compliment from Virat. He’s a great player.
“And if he’s saying that I’ve made his life easier, I’m really proud because if you’re a top-order batsman, your job is to ensure that the batters who bat at number 4, 5, 6, you make their life easier."
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.
India have struggled to find a solid No. 3 since Pujara’s departure. Does he see anyone in the current team performing that challenging role in the long run?
“Well, it’s very hard to say at this stage. But Indian team has a lot of young, talented players. Someone like Sai Sudharshan has started this journey well. We saw some potential in his batting.
“At the same time, Karun Nair also scored a 50, though he was batting at number 5. Both Sai and Karun have shown a lot of potential going forward," Pujara remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
