The incredible career of Cheteshwar Pujara came to an end on Sunday, August 24. He has been a pillar for the Indian team for the last ten years, helping them maintain their position as the top Test team for five years in a row.
In October 2010, Pujara made his first appearance in red-ball cricket against Australia. In 103 games, he amassed 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 hundreds. The 2023 World Test Championship final was his final appearance.
Pujara scored 521 runs in 2018-19, to help India win the first ever Test series against Australia. In his next visit to Australia in 2020 have to 2021, he showed perseverance and played a major role in a series victory by India. He had body blows in his historic 56-run innings which allowed India to make their breakthrough at the Gabba.
In view of this, here are some of the most common reactions to the news that Cheteshwar Pujara will no longer commit to any kind of cricket.
1. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian batsman, expressed his thoughts on Cheteshwar Pujara’s retirement. Gavaskar says young cricket players who will play for the national team in the future can learn from Pujara’s resilience under duress. He stated in an interview with TOI:
“One of the old-school cricketers who put India above everything else. Took endless blows for Indian cricket but never took a backward step. Hopefully, Indian cricket will use his experience and expertise to teach young budding cricketers that whatever they become in life is because of Indian cricket and it should come above anything and everything,”
Sunil Gavaskar
2. Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan, a former Indian all-rounder, thinks that Cheteshwar Pujara won’t be seen in cricket for a long time because of his ability to dominate the opposition via tenacity and great defense. Pathan stated in a recent Instagram video:
“One of the last breed of Test cricketers, who emphasized on defense, was a classical Test cricketer. We may not find any other cricketer like him in the future. If you ask Australia, they would tell you Pujara tired them and wore down the ball’s condition. He didn’t had many shots, but showed the world how to maximize your potential.”
Irfan Pathan
“Whenever Pujara’s name will be written, the word ‘grit’ would be written before it. He had much more grit than his talent, whenever that happens, it helps you achieve something special.”
Irfan Pathan
3. Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra recently commended Cheteshwar Pujara’s perseverance and tenacity in a video posted on his YouTube channel. Declaring it a triumphant conclusion to a phase of international cricket, Chopra said:
“Cheteshwar Pujara, dependable Pujara, a lot of grit and determination, the fighting spirit. You get him to do any job and he would do it laughing. They don’t make people like him anymore. Players like him don’t come now. A glorious chapter in Indian and international cricket has ended with Puji.”
Aakash Chopra
“It was a pleasure, honor, and privilege to play against and alongside you. The team always came first and he would do anything. He will go through a wall, and he will be the wall. The longest Test knock for India has come from Pujara’s bat. He has batted on all five days of a Test match.”
Aakash Chopra
4. R Ashwin
On his YouTube channel, former Indian spinner R Ashwin posted a video homage to Cheteshwar Pujara. When discussing the top Indian Test batsmen, Ashwin wondered why Pujara’s name isn’t brought up more frequently.
“Whenever we talk about Indian cricket, it is easy to talk about Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. Even in the past, it was Sachin Tendulkar, I mean, he was an icon, but players like Pujara do not come around quite often,” Ashwin said. (2:23)
Ashwin, however, believes that the cricket-watching public recognizes the importance of Pujara’s runs, which has allowed other batsmen to score runs at will.
“The cricket following people definitely know the contribution of Pujara’s contribution in that batting order, and his batting style allowed batters arriving after him to score a lot of runs.”
R Ashwin continued by applauding Cheteshwar Pujara’s compact defense and expressing his belief that it ought to become widely shared on social media.
“Pujara is one such guy, when he bats it looks like a symphony. You may see reels on Instagram, edits like Virat’s cover drive, Rohit Sharma’s pull shot, MS Dhoni’s Helicopter Shot, but Pujara’s defense, even that has to be featured with music and all that.” (7:20)
After that, Ashwin called Pujara a “test legend” for his services to the Indian squad.
“He is a Test legend, absolute massive legend of Indian cricket, his contribution is no less than anyone else. I would put my head on the block, his contribution is not less than anyone else, whether it be Virat, or Rohit, or anybody,” Ashwin added.
5. Karsan Ghavri
Karsan Ghavri, a former Indian all-rounder, chastised the BCCI for failing to properly bid farewell to Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara. Despite Pujara’s important contributions to the Indian red-ball team, Ghavri speculates that he may have chosen to quit after failing to guarantee his status.
In a Mid-Day interview, the 74-year-old stated:
“It’s possible, he [Pujara] may have retired out of frustration. After representing the country for so long, if a player is not getting chances, anyone will be frustrated. Similarly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma must have felt that frustration too before the recent England tour. The BCCI may have their own ideas, but ultimately, the player suffers. These players are not demanding crores of rupees. It’s all about honor and they all deserved that farewell Test, 110 per cent.”
Karsan Ghavri
“If someone has represented the country in 100 or more Tests, it is most definitely a sizeable contribution. He [Pujara] belongs to that distinguished list of players.”
Karsan Ghavri
