Guwahati: Veteran Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara on Sunday announced his retirement from all forms of the game. The Saurashtra cricketer made the revelation on social media.
Pujara, one of India’s most reliable Test batters, finished his career as the eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket for India, with 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries in 103 Tests.
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Pujara who was out of reckonings of late had however expressed his willingness to don the India whites again.
So, in some sense, his retirement comes as a shocker to many.
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His last appearance for India was in the World Test Championship final at the Oval in 2023.
Pujara was never taken seriously in white-ball cricket featuring in only five ODIs.
In a post on social media, Pujara said, “Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and giving my best everytime I stepped on the field – it’s hard to describe what that meant. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. With gratitude, I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket. Thank you for all the support.”
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Pujara was roped in as India No.3 around the exit of Rahul Dravid.
And fast forward to 2025, Pujara has done justice to the faith turning out to be a pivot in the India batting line up.
The 2018-19 Test series Down Under comes to our mind and Pujara was superlative in the series amassing 521 runs off 1,258 balls with three hundreds.
Pujara also played a key role in India’s back-to-back Border-Gavaskar Trophy victories in Australia. In the 2020-21 tour too, Pujara used all his experience in steering the ship – his gritty knock in the second innings of the Sydney Test despite nursing a finger injury saved India an embarrassing defeat.
Pujara’s 77 of 285 deliveries the fourth innings at Sydney still stands out. He laid the foundation before R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari held their nerves to spare India the ordeal.
And he followed it up with an unforgettable contribution in the famous Gabba Test that India won to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“When I was batting in Sydney and Brisbane, it wasn’t easy to grip the bat properly. When I got hit again at Brisbane, there was more pain. I had to grip the bat with four fingers. It wasn’t natural. Things still worked out pretty well,” he had said on his resilience.
Pujara’s retirement according to some experts was on the cards especially after three of his ex-teammates Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin also calling it a day.
Rohit and Virat though would still feature in the 50-over format.
With the Indian team management under coach Gautam Gambhir looking for younger feet to take Indian cricket forward, the last of the purists Pujara was on his way out.
Pujara has been in the news recently with his stint as a commentator.
Needless to say, courtesy of his knowledge and logic, he has struck the right chord with cricket fans.
Will miss you Puji on the field but lots in store in the box.