From Rajkot's maidans to cricket's grandest arenas, Cheteshwar Pujara carved a niche as the bedrock of India's Test side.
He is one of only 14 Indians to feature in more than 100 Tests, and his innings often defined India's most memorable triumphs.
Cheteshwar Pujara, India's ever-reliable No. 3, has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket, bringing down the curtain on a career built on resilience, patience, and quiet courage.
'Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and giving my best each time I stepped onto 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,' Pujara wrote in his farewell message.
From Rajkot's maidans to cricket's grandest arenas, Pujara carved a niche as the bedrock of India's Test side. He is one of only 14 Indians to feature in more than 100 Tests, and his innings often defined India's most memorable triumphs.
The defining image remains Gabba 2021: Pujara taking blow after blow from Australia's quicks yet refusing to yield, laying the platform for India's historic series-clinching victory at a fortress unbeaten for over 30 years.
Across 103 Tests, he scored 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties. But numbers only hint at his greatness. Pujara was not a man of flamboyance but of fortitude -- a batsman who valued his wicket like currency, who wore bruises as medals, who turned patience into a weapon. Despite early ACL surgeries on both knees, he made endurance his identity.
His debut, a composed 72 against Australia in Bengaluru in 2010, foreshadowed the temperament that would define him. Thirteen years later, fittingly against the same opponents in the 2023 World Test Championship final, he played his last Test, closing the circle of a career steeped in dedication.
The 100-Test Club
Pujara is one of only 14 Indians to play 100 Test matches, joining a roll of honour that includes Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli among others. For someone who never dazzled in the IPL or chased fame in shorter formats, the achievement speaks volumes about his value to Indian Test cricket.
The King of Double Centuries in India
In first class cricket, Pujara has a staggering 18 double centuries, the fourth-most in history behind only Don Bradman, Wally Hammond and Patsy Hendren. He tops the list in India -- by a mile.
The next-best, Vijay Merchant, managed 11. In today's age of limited long-format opportunities, it seems unimaginable that any Indian batter could even dream of breaking that record. Pujara's consistency at this level makes him not just a run machine, but also a true custodian of red-ball batting.
The Only Indian to Face 500+ Balls in a Test Innings
In 2017 at Ranchi against Australia, Pujara produced one of the greatest exhibitions of endurance ever seen. He batted for 672 minutes, faced 525 balls and scored a masterful 202 runs, with 21 boundaries. His strike rate -- 38.47 -- hardly mattered, because his vigil blunted Australia's attack, forced fatigue, and paved the way for India's dominance.
To this day, he remains the only Indian to have ever faced more than 500 deliveries in a single Test innings.
A Rare Five-Day Presence
Only 13 batters in the history of Test cricket have managed the rare feat of batting on all five days of a match. Cheteshwar Pujara is one of them -- but in a way that could only be his.
During the rain-hit Kolkata Test against Sri Lanka in 2017, the weather interruptions created a quirk of fate: Pujara walked out to bat every single day of the game. He scored a gritty 52 in the first innings and followed it with 22 in the second, etching his name into one of cricket's most exclusive lists.
The match itself ended in drama. India set Sri Lanka a target of 231 in less than 40 overs, but fading light came to the visitors' rescue as they finished on 75 for 7, salvaging a draw.
As with so much of his career, Pujara's place in this rare list reflects his own quiet uniqueness -- finding his way into history not through flamboyance, but through persistence, patience, and timing.
India's 8th-highest Test run-scorer
Pujara's 7,195 Test runs place him in elite company, making him only the eighth Indian to cross 7,000 in the format joining Tendulkar (15,921), Dravid (13,265), Gavaskar (10,122), Kohli (9,230), V V S Laxman (8,781), Virender Sehwag (8,503) and Sourav Ganguly (7,212).
A pillar at No. 3
Of Pujara's 7,195 Test runs, 6,529 came at No. 3, including 18 centuries -- a mark only surpassed by Rahul Dravid, who amassed 10,524 runs with 28 hundreds at the same position.
Globally, just four other batters have scored 6,000-plus runs from the one-drop spot in Tests: Kumar Sangakkara (11,679), Ricky Ponting (9,904), Kane Williamson (8,658), and Hashim Amla (7,993).
IPL and Pujara
Pujara's story in the IPL is a contrast to his Test greatness. In 30 matches, he scored 390 runs at an average of 20.52 and a strike rate of 99.74. With just one half-century (51), he never became a regular starter. But perhaps that was always the point -- Pujara wasn't built for T20 cricket. He was built for the grind, for the Test match, for days when patience was the only weapon against chaos.
For a generation of Indian cricket fans, Pujara was more than just a number three. He was India's anchor, a reminder that in an age chasing speed and spectacle, the art of grinding it out still wins battles.
At 37, as he walks away, he leaves behind not just runs, but a legacy of resilience, selflessness, and an unyielding spirit.
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