All good things must come to an end,” said the 37-year-old batsman who played 103 Tests for India.
After more than two years away from the national team, Cheteshwar Pujara has now drawn the curtain on both international and domestic cricket. The 37-year-old announced his retirement, bidding farewell to Indian cricket.
Once one of India’s most reliable Test batsmen, Pujara confirmed his decision on social media on Sunday.
“Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the national anthem, and giving my best every time I took the field – these feelings are beyond words. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. With immense gratitude, I have decided to retire from all formats of Indian cricket. Thank you for your love and support.”
Pujara’s last Test for India came in June 2023, in the ICC Test Championship final against Australia. He scored 14 and 27 runs in a 209-run defeat and was subsequently dropped from the team.
With this, Pujara joins a growing list of India’s top players who have retired from Test cricket in recent months. Last December, experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retired mid-tour of Australia. Ahead of England’s tour, star batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also bid farewell to Test cricket within a week during the IPL season.
In 103 Tests for India, Pujara amassed 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties. At home, he scored 3,839 runs at 52.58. For over a decade, he was India’s cornerstone at No. 3, playing crucial roles in several key victories both at home and abroad.
Pujara scored centuries against every Test-playing nation except Afghanistan, against whom he made 35 in his only innings. He scored five centuries each against Australia and England and four against Sri Lanka.
He recorded his first Test century in August 2012 against New Zealand in Hyderabad. Two months later, he hit his first double century against England in Ahmedabad. He then scored another century in the next Test at Wankhede, a match famously remembered for Kevin Pietersen’s 186-run innings. In 2013, Pujara scored 153 runs in nearly six hours in the second innings against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Another notable overseas performance came in 2015 in Colombo, where he scored an unbeaten 145 off 289 balls to anchor India’s innings. In 2018, he impressed again in Southampton against England, scoring an unbeaten 132 on a pace-friendly pitch, far outscoring the next highest scorer of 46.
Pujara also played a key role in India’s back-to-back Test series wins in Australia. In the 2018-19 series, he scored three centuries in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, helping India secure its first-ever Test series win Down Under. Two years later, he faced a formidable pace attack including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, playing 928 balls across four Tests. At Brisbane, he contributed 56 runs off 211 balls despite multiple hits from the ball, helping India secure a historic series win after 32 years.
Even as white-ball cricket and T20 franchise leagues gained global prominence, Pujara remained committed to red-ball cricket.
He played five ODIs for India from August 2013 to June 2014, scoring 51 runs. In the IPL, he represented Kolkata Knight Riders (2010), Royal Challengers Bangalore (2011-2013), and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings, 2014). In 2021, he was part of Chennai Super Kings but did not get a game.
Domestically, he played regularly, with his last List A match in December 2023 and his last T20 in November 2022.
Pujara made his first-class debut for Saurashtra in December 2005 and continued to play in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. He scored 99 against Assam in February and then 26 and 2 against Gujarat, marking his final appearance in Indian cricket.
He also played county cricket in England for Sussex. Across 278 first-class matches, he scored 21,301 runs at an average of 51.82, including 66 centuries, three of which were triple hundreds.
