Cheteshwar Pujara Drops Major Hint About Stepping Away Before Upcoming Ranji Trophy

Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara breaks silence on his decision to retire from all forms of Indian cricket. In all, he has played 103 tests for India, who is also known as the Wall of Indian Cricket, and opted to put an end to his illustrious career on August 24, Sunday. In Test cricket, he was the pillar of the team and anchored the No. 3 position with brilliance. His hard work and consistency proved to be very crucial for Team India in many iconic victories, including India's historic test series win against Australia on their home soil during the 2018-19 tour, where he was named Player of the Series.

Pujara made his Test debut in the year 2010, taking some time to replace Rahul Dravid after his retirement, becoming India's most dependable player in the format. He scored 7,195 runs in 103 matches at an average of 43.60, smashing 19 centuries and 35 half centuries.

After his announcement from International Cricket, Pujara thanked all his teammates and people who supported him throughouthis cricketing journey.

He said,

"See, I didn't think much about it earlier. For about a week I thought a little that this is the right time. So today when I took this decision, it was 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."

The former cricketer also made it clear that it was his personal decision to take retirement from every format, including domestic cricket as well. He stated that the young talents deserve to get more opportunities now.

He said,

"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."