Follow UsAnother member of Indian cricket’s current generation of Test cricket stalwarts, Cheteshwar Pujara, has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. Pujara, whose career for India started in October 2010, played 103 Test matches for his country and scored 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60.
Known for his gritty and gutsy batting, Pujara has been right at the centre of Indian cricket’s most iconic Test moments in the last decade or so, with his performance in both the Border-Gavaskar Trophy wins in Australia being some of his best in whites for India. So good was Pujara in Australia that he averages 47.28 there. He was a domestic cricket legend already, and has scored 21,301 First-class runs overall at an average of 51.82.
Pujara announced his retirement through a statement on his social media, where he traced his journey from Rajkot to the Indian team and thanked all those involved in his spectacular journey with the Men In Blue.
“As a little boy from the small town of Rajkot, along with my parents, I set out to aim for the stars; and dreamt to be a part of the Indian cricket team,” Pujara’s statement said.
“Little did I know then that this game would give me so many invaluable opportunities, experiences, purpose, love, and above all a chance to represent my state and this great nation.
“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.
“I would like to thank the BCCI and Saurashtra Cricket Association for the opportunity and support throughout my cricket career. I am equally grateful to all the teams, franchises and counties I have been able to represent over the years.”
Pujara hanging up his boots has been preceded by a chain of Test retirements by the biggest Indian cricketers of his generation that includes R Ashwin, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma. However, Pujara had already given signs of moving on as he was part of the commentary and broadcast team during India’s Test tour to England and looked quite comfortable in the commentary box.