Cheteshwar Pujara retires from all forms of Indian cricket

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PTI

August 24, 2025 12:02 pm

Cheteshwar Pujara, one of India’s finest Test batters, called time on his illustrious career on Sunday.

The 37-year-old made the announcement on social media, having played the last of 103 Tests in 2023.

“As a little boy from the small town of Rajkot, along with my parents, I set out to aim for the stars; and dreamt to be a part of the Indian cricket team. Little did I know then that this game would give me so much – invaluable opportunities, experiences, purpose, love, and above all a chance to represent my state and this great nation.

“Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and trying my best each time I stepped on the field – it’s impossible to put into words what it truly meant. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and with immense gratitude I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket,” said Pujara in a heartfelt note.

The decision to retire was not entirely surprising considering the team’s two other stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, said goodbye to Test cricket ahead of the England tour earlier this year.

With 7195 runs at an average of 43.60, Pujara stands at eighth place in the all time leading run-getters from India. He also amassed 21301 runs in first-class cricket.

Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor on Friday said the depth in India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup allowed the national selectors to leave out a player of Shreyas Iyer’s calibre, who was ignored for the continental tournament. Iyer, who had an impressive domestic season and also led his IPL franchise Punjab Kings into the final, failed to find a place in the 15-member squad announced earlier this week. “I haven’t seen the side yet so can’t say. (But) when you can leave that type of quality out, you’ve got to be pretty comfortable with the depth of your squad,” Taylor told PTI Videos on the sidelines of a CLT10 League event.

PTI