Cheteshwar Pujara, a big name in Test cricket, has retired. He announced it on social media on Sunday. 103 Tests, over 7000 runs and 19 centuries.
Those numbers tell you how good Pujara was in Tests. And the Aussies know it better than anyone. He had some great innings during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 tours of Australia. He was even Player of the Series when India won the 4-match series 2-1 in 2019 with Virat Kohli as captain. Two years later when India was trying to defend the trophy, his toughness really annoyed the Aussies again.
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Think about bigger picture
After retiring, Pujara spoke about how he handled getting hit while batting, especially during the 2021 tour of Australia.
When things get tough like that, you have to think about the bigger picture. You’re batting for your team and tons of people are counting on you and hoping the team does well with the series on the line. It hurts when you get hit but you have to stay cool. You need to trust yourself and your skills, Pujara told The Indian Express.
It Really Hurts
Getting hit once or twice isn’t a big deal but when it keeps happening in the same spot it really hurts. That’s when you need to be mentally strong. That’s when your passion for the game and your country kicks in. I believe in God and he gives me strength. When times are tough you need that spiritual power, it’s hard to put into words. I get strength from somewhere I can’t explain it, he added.
Second Quickest to Reach 1000 Test Run
Cheteshwar Pujara was the second fastest Indian to reach 1,000 Test runs. After his double century against Australia in March 2017 he reached his highest ranking of No. 2 in the ICC Test batting rankings. He was also the 11th Indian player to score over 6,000 runs in Test cricket.
Australia 2018-19 Heroics
Pujara is most famous for what he did in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He scored his first Test century in Australia in the first match of the series. Even when other batsmen struggled he kept going and got India to 250 in the first innings with 123 runs. Then he scored 71 in the second innings which helped India win by 31 runs.In that series he scored the most runs with three centuries and added 521 runs at an average of 74.42. He faced 1258 balls which is like spending almost two whole days at the crease. In the first Test he saved India from 19/3 and took down the Aussie bowlers with ease.
After India won the first Test Australia came back and won the second by 146 runs. But then India won the third Test by 137 runs and Pujara scored a century (106) in the first innings. The fourth Test ended in a draw and Pujara scored another big 193.
