Cheteshwar Pujara, the retired Indian Test cricket player, has spoken out about his choice to leave cricket altogether, saying that he made the decision on his own. The 37-year-old said he wanted to participate in the Ranji Trophy this year but concluded that if young players participated in the top first-class competition as soon as possible, they would be prepared for the big stage sooner.
After 108 games, 103 of which were in the Test arena, Pujara ended his 13-year international career. India won both the 2018–19 and 2020–21 legs of their Test series in Australia thanks in large part to the tenacious right-handed batsman. He leaves with 19 hundreds and 7195 Test runs at 43.60.
A few hours after announcing his retirement, Pujara told Sports Tak:
“This was my personal call and I decided that this is the right time, especially when young players should get opportunities in domestic cricket. Earlier I thought maybe I will play this Ranji season, but then I felt that if young players get the opportunity, they will be ready sooner. So this was my personal call. About the past few years when I wasn’t part of the Indian team, I don’t want too speak much.”
Cheteshwar Pujara
The veteran had not played for India since the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval. The selectors had favored youthful players even though he was performing well in the domestic arena.
“From about a week I thought a little that this is the right time” – Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara went on to thank everyone who assisted him on his journey. He went on to remark that he felt honored to have represented India for so long, saying:
“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.”
Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara, who recently began his career as an analyst, may now be seen in that function more frequently in the coming years.
