Cheteshwar Pujara: India’s Modern Wall Retires

Cheteshwar Pujara, one of India’s most reliable Test batsmen, has retired from all forms of cricket on August 24, 2025. He wasn’t flashy or loud on the field, but he was calm, focused, and incredibly patient. His strength was playing long innings and helping India stay strong in tough matches.

Early Life and Start in Cricket

Pujara grew up in Rajkot, Gujarat, and trained under his father, who was also a cricketer. From a young age, he was serious about cricket and worked very hard. He made his Test debut in 2010 against Australia.

His Cricket Journey

• Pujara played 103 Test matches.
• He scored 7,195 runs, including 19 centuries (100s).
• His batting average was 43.60.
• He is India’s 8th highest run-scorer in Test history.

Biggest Achievement: Australia 2018–19 Tour

In this series, Pujara was the main reason India won a Test series in Australia for the first time ever.

• He scored 521 runs.
• He faced 1,258 balls, showing great patience.
• He scored 3 centuries (100s) in the series.

His calm and solid batting helped India make history.

Why He Was Important

• He took Rahul Dravid’s spot as India’s No.3 batsman in Tests.
• Against Australia, he averaged 49.38 and scored 5 centuries.
• He was very good overseas and helped India win many matches.
• He faced more balls than Sunil Gavaskar, which shows how long he batted and how well he protected his wicket.

Why His Retirement Is a Big Deal

Pujara was one of the last classic Test batsmen who focused on staying at the crease and wearing down the bowlers. In today’s cricket world, where fast scoring is the trend, players like Pujara are rare. His retirement marks the end of an era.

He is also now doing well as a cricket commentator, sharing his knowledge in a simple and smart way.