This Was My Personal Call”: Cheteshwar Pujara Breaks Silence on Retirement

Cheteshwar Pujara said he thought about retirement for only about a week before deciding to call it quits on Sunday, August 24. In his 103 Tests, he scored 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties, with his last match for India being the 2023 World Test Championship final. Since then, he has continued playing domestic cricket scoring 402 runs in seven Ranji Trophy matches for Saurashtra last season. Speaking to media, Pujara said he hadn’t considered retiring before and only made the decision recently.

It’s time for Cheteshwar Pujara to move on. While the reasons for his retirement are clear, he opened up about his decision in an interview with SportsTak, saying that stepping aside would give a chance to a young player.

"See, I didn’t think much about it earlier. From about a week I thought a little that this is the right time. So today when I took this decision, it is quite a proud moment for me and for my whole family. On this day I want to thank all my teammates, my coaches and all the support staff I worked with, because this is a proud moment for me. Representing the Indian team, from childhood, when I was small, it was always a dream to play for India. When that dream got completed and for so many years this journey went on, we created so many memories, so there are many proud moments in my career till now," said Pujara.

There were reports that Pujara was preparing for the next Ranji Trophy season with Saurashtra. However, he said he felt it was the right time to step away and give young players a chance. He added that he had no regrets and was happy to have had a successful career.

“This was my personal call, and I decided that this is the right time and I think the young players should get an opportunity in domestic cricket. Earlier, I thought I might play the Ranji season, but then I thought if a younger player got an opportunity, they will be groomed early, so this was my personal call” he added.

"For me, this is a very memorable day, and the journey with the Indian team, the matches and the series we played, the team’s performances, they all mean a lot to me. Actually today is a proud moment, a happy day. I got the opportunity to play for India for so many years. In my career, I had two big injuries in 2009 and 2011, to recover from them and still play so many years, I never thought it would happen. So I am grateful that I got the chance to play for the Indian team for so many years," Pujara concluded.

In the end, Cheteshwar Pujara retired with an impressive record in both Test and domestic cricket. In 103 Tests, he scored 7,195 runs at an average of 43, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties. In first-class cricket, he scored 21,301 runs in 278 matches at an average of 51, with 66 centuries and 81 fifties. He finished his career as India’s eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.

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