Cheteshwar Pujara has retired from international cricket
He played 103 Test scoring 7195 runs with 19 centuries for India
Pujara replaced the legendary Rahul Dravid at the one-down spot and made it his own for more than a decade
Cheteshwar Pujara on Sunday announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. The long-time India Test number three revealed his decision in a post on social media, expressing "immense gratitude." An old-school player in the modern era, Pujara retires as one of the 14 Indians cricketers to have played more than 100 Tests and is the eighth highest run-scorer for the country in the traditional format.
"Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and trying my best each time I stepped on the field - it's impossible to put into words what it truly meant. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and with immense gratitude I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket," Pujara said in his retirement post on X.
Pujara retires at 37 with 103 Tests under his belt. He ends his Test career with 7195 runs at an average of 43.6 with 19 centuries, three of them double tons, and 35 fifties. He is one of three Indians who have batted on all five days of a Test match. The right-hander replaced the legendary Rahul Dravid at the one-down spot and made it his own for more than a decade.
Pujara made his debut in 2010 against Australia, an opponent against whom he went on to play his most memorable knocks. Interestingly, his last Test also came against the Aussies in the World Test Championship 2023 Final at the Oval. In between, Pujara helped India to win their first ever series victory in Australia with a Player of the Series performance and three hundreds in 2018-19. Two years later, he again played a key role in India's back-to-back Test series wins Down Under. Two of his three Test double tons came against the Aussies alongside a 193 in Sydney.
Pujara remained one of the biggest reasons of India's home dominance in the past decade and his game against spin is considered among the best in the modern era. However, in the World Test Championship era, Pujara's form dipped and India finally dropped him after the 2023 WTC final.
Player of the Tournament in the 2006 U-19 World Cup, Pujara could not fit into the India ODI side due to the presence of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan in the top order. He only played five ODIs, scoring just 51 runs.
Pujara last played in the Indian Premier League in 2014. In total, he played 30 IPL games and has one half-century to his name.
