On Sunday, August 24, Cheteshwar Pujara startled the cricket community by declaring his retirement from all cricket-related activities. After participating in five ODIs and 103 Test matches, the Saurashtra batsman concluded with 7246 international runs. Even with a fantastic List With an average of 57.01 from 127 innings, Pujara didn’t have many chances to demonstrate his abilities in one-day international cricket.
His career coincided with T20 cricket’s meteoric rise in popularity. He was limited to playing 30 Indian Premier League (IPL) games, though, and was largely unsold at auction. In the 2014 edition, he played his final game in the lucrative league. He was selected by the Chennai Super Kings for the 2021 Indian Premier League, but he did not play and was not sold at the auction that followed.
Cheteshwar Pujara encouraged young people to concentrate on doing well in all forms, pointing out that players had been selected for Test teams after excelling for India in the IPL or white-ball cricket. But according to the right-handed hitter, cricketers gain a lot of respect when they do well in Test matches.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend any of the young players to just focus on the Test format because times are changing. The white-ball game is popular, and one needs to adapt to what lies ahead. The future is definitely white-ball cricket alongside Test matches. Test cricket is not going anywhere; it is going to survive. But for a young player to get picked in Test matches, you need to perform well either in the IPL or in India’s T20I and ODI squads. If you are not a good white-ball player, then the chances of getting into the Test team are very limited,” Pujara told India Today.
There might be exceptions, an exceptional player from the Ranji Trophy might be picked, but such cases are rare. You need to be outstanding in the Ranji or Duleep Trophy to make it to the Test squad. The easier route, though, is through white-ball formats. I would recommend a young player to aim to play all three formats. I missed out on the others, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else to make that choice. They should still aspire to play Test cricket, that’s the ultimate format. If you are seeking respect and want to be regarded as the best cricketer, then you not only need to play, but excel in red-ball cricket,” he added.
Cheteshwar Pujara admits he lost contracts after being labelled a Test specialist
Pujara claimed that because he focused on performing well in red-ball cricket, he was unable to reach his full potential in limited-over formats. The 37-year-old underlined, nevertheless, that he had no regrets about the decisions he made as a player.
“To be successful in Tests, I had to sacrifice something in white-ball cricket. I was happy to do that. You mentioned the IPL. I have been a part of it, but I did lose out on contracts because I was tagged as a Test player. When you are representing the country and miss out on something else, you need to be prepared for that.”
Cheteshwar Pujara
“But for me, there are no regrets. If I had had the opportunity to play all three formats or to be a regular in the IPL, I would certainly have taken it. But I had to choose, and for me, it was Test cricket. I am glad I chose it and I am very content with what has happened in my career.”
Cheteshwar Pujara
