Cheteshwar Pujara Retires from All Cricket, Bids Farewell to Indian Jersey

India’s batsman Cheteshwar Pujara announced on Sunday that he is retiring from all forms of cricket. His last match for India was in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval.

He retired as India’s eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, scoring 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries. Although a slow patch towards the end of his 103-Test career brought his average down a little, the quiet fighter from Rajkot, who as a boy used to face a thousand balls a day under a neem tree at the 3 Kothi Ground, guided by his father Arvind, can be proud not just of the numbers, but of the journey that made them possible.

Pujara shared the news on social media, saying it was an emotional decision. He wrote that wearing the Indian jersey and giving his best was a feeling he can’t put into words. With a heart full of gratitude, he has decided it’s time to retire from Indian cricket.

"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. Thank you for all the love and support," he wrote on X.

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… pic.twitter.com/p8yOd5tFyT

— Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar1) August 24, 2025

India has had many flashy batsmen, but few have been as good as Pujara at holding an innings together and handling pressure. He will always be remembered for helping India win their first-ever Test series in Australia in 2018-19. In that series, he scored 521 runs, faced 1,258 balls mostly defending rather than attacking and hit three centuries. His performance was crucial, earning comparisons to Sunil Gavaskar’s famous 774 runs in the West Indies in 1970-71 and the legendary spin trio’s 37 wickets in England that same year.

Pujara: A Pillar of Patience and Resilience in Test Cricket

Pujara was a cornerstone in India's back-to-back Border-Gavaskar Trophy victories on Australian soil. His innings of resistance frustrated world-class bowling attacks and provided the foundation for historic wins. With his retirement, Test cricket lost one of its final true stonewallers, a batsman whose method was built not on flair but on fortitude.

In today’s game, where fast scoring and the ‘Bazball’ style dominate, a player like Cheteshwar Pujara may seem rare. Yet, his influence on cricket is unforgettable, showing us the value of patience, focus, and quiet skill.

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