Two years after his last Test match, Cheteshwar Pujara on Sunday announced his international retirement saying "all good things come to an end". Pujara finishes his 103-match-long Test career with over 7000 runs and 19 centuries. Known for his old-school methods of batting, Pujara was among the best batters of his time and remains India's eighth-highest run-getter in the international red ball game.
At his peak, Pujara would bat and bat and bat as he famously did in Australia on the 2018-19 tour. His Player of the Series performance with three centuries propelled India to a historic first ever Test series victory on Australian soil.
Below we look at the five best Test innings from Cheteshwar Pujara on the day he retires.
132* vs England, Southampton 2018
Pujara's only century in England could not have come at a better time. India were behind 2-1 in the series and looked set to concede lead in the fourth Test as well. At 195/8, India were still 51 runs behind England's first innings score. At this crucial point, Pujara unleashed his attacking strokeplay in a masterclass of how to play alongside tailenders. The India number three finished not out on 132 and helped the team take an invaluable 27-run lead.
Despite Pujara's efforts, India lost the match.
92 vs Australia, Bengaluru 2017
After a shocking loss in the first Test, India were on the backfoot again in the second. Having conceded an 87-run first innings lead on a treacherous Chinnaswamy surface, India were under a lot of pressure in the second dig when Pujara played what he has described as his best Test innings.
Pujara scored 92 from 221 balls on a pitch playing tricks to help India set up a 188-run target. His exemplary use of feet against Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe stood out. Australia lost the match and then the series.
123 vs Australia Adelaide 2018
In the opening game of the 2018-19 tour to Australia, India were in a familiar position with half the team back in the pavilion for only 86 runs. Wickets kept falling on one end, but Pujara stood tall on the other. A direct hit on the last ball of the day ended Pujara's resistance but till that time, he had scored 123 to take India to a decent total. If that was not enough, he scored another 71 in the second dig to ensure India's victory.
56 vs Australia, Brisbane 2021
A 211-ball vigil that any Indian cricket fan would hardly forget. Pujara copped blows after blows to his body on a final day Gabba pitch with uneven bounce but he did not budge. He played second fiddle to Shubman Gill first and then to Rishabh Pant as India breached fortress Gabba to claim back-to-back series wins in Australia. The win remains one of the most memorable moments in India's cricketing history and Pujara's role in the victory can not be overstated.
145* vs Sri Lanka, Galle 2015
Perhaps the most consequential knock in Pujara's career, the 145 not out in Galle is an underrated gem in the right-hander's scorebook. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri had just joined hands as captain and coach and they wanted aggression in the batting line-up. Pujara would not bring that, so he was dropped for India's tour to Sri Lanka.
However, injuries forced Pujara into the batting line-up in the third and final Test with the series even at 1-1.
On a track in Galle that had surprise, sting, bounce and turn, Pujara was sent to open and he showed the management why his old-school methods work perfectly in the conditions where attacking batting does not. Pujara carried his bat in an incredible 145 not out and was the Player of the Match as India won the match and series.
