Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], August 24 : Cheteshwar Pujara, who bid adieu to all forms of Indian cricket, revealed his decision to retire wasn't an instinctive call but something that he had been pondering for a week.
On a regular Sunday morning, Pujara left the work of cricket in shock by silently announcing his exit. He joined India's batting bigwigs Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, to call it a day in Test cricket, a format that was the home of his true prowess, armed with the traditional batting style.
In the last two years, the Indian team moved on from Pujara. His constant absence from the Test fold served as a prominent proof, even though he was active in India's domestic circuit for Saurashtra and Sussex in the County Championship.
At 37, Pujara's chances of returning grew slim with each passing day. His ambition to return to the Test side after being dropped in the aftermath of the crushing World Test Championship final defeat in 2023 concluded with his retirement call.
Pujara explained that the rationale behind his call stemmed from the realisation that it was the "right" moment to step away and leave behind opportunities for the next generation. His decision wasn't solely his, but was the result of consultations with his family and top-tier cricketers.
"This plan was going on for a week. I have not been a part of the Indian team for the last few years, but now I thought that this is the right time because young players have got an opportunity in domestic cricket, which is why I made this decision," Pujara said while speaking to reporters.
"When you take such a big decision, you take this decision only after talking to your family and your biggest players, so I consulted everyone, and then I decided that it is important to move on," he added.
Pujara made his debut in late 2010 and continued to grind in the Test format, especially in an era where T20 cricket and franchise leagues grew in prominence.
The 37-year-old pulled the curtains down on his career after 103 Tests with 7,195 Test runs at 43.60, laced with 19 hundreds and 35 half-centuries during a journey that spanned over 15 years.
After being a part of several stories of success, the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy remains at the summit of the most memorable series wins for him. In his 1258-ball marathon, Pujara conjured 521 runs at 74.42 and topped the scoring charts in the series.
He played the rescue act by notching his maiden Test ton in Australia when India was dwindling at 19/3 in the series opener. Pujara continued to rely on his defensive technique, grinded down Australia's attacks and then feasted on them to propel India to its first Test series win in Australia.
Pujara continued to act as India's vanguard during the BGT 2020-21 series in Australia. With India bereft of its vital players, Pujara garnered 271 runs from four Tests to lift India to its second consecutive win on the Australian surface.
"I have a lot of memories but definitely like you said the Australian tour in 2018 when the Indian team won the series for the first time in Australia that was the biggest and most important series after that in 2021 we won the series on Australian soil with our weak team so those two series were very memorable," he said.
"Throughout the journey from 2010 to 2023, I played for the Indian team. There were many big series, but the competitive series was in front of Australia, so that series will be very memorable for me," he added.
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