Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on August 24, Sunday. The former number three for India in Test cricket has called curtains to his international career for India that spanned for almost 15 years.
Pujara played 103 Test matches and five ODIs for India. He ended his career with 7195 Test runs with 19 hundreds and 35 fifties. He also scored three double hundreds in his decorated career. He also played four ODIs for India.
Pujara now joins the list of recent Indian players to have retired from the format after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. The three of them, along with Ajinkya Rahane, formed the core of the India Test team in the last decade. Rohit also played his part since he started opening in Tests from the 2019 WTC campaign.
India saw the best of Cheteshwar Pujara against England and Australia. He played 25 Tests against Australia, scoring 2075 runs at an average of almost 50, including five hundreds. Against England, his numbers were equally good as he scored 1778 runs in 27 Test, averaging almost 40. He also scored over 850 Test runs each against the Kiwis and the Proteas and 743 runs against Sri Lanka. In this article, we take a look at Cheteshwar Pujara’s top knocks in Test cricket.
Also Read: Cheteshwar Pujara Retires From All Forms Of Indian Cricket
Advertisement
56 Runs Off 211 Balls Australia - Gabba 2021
Pujara’s best knock in Test cricket is perhaps this knock of 56 runs against Australia at The Gabba in 2021. This was the famous Test match in 2021 when India breached Australia’s fortress known as the Gabba and became the first team to beat Australia at the venue for over 30 years. The Test match is remembered for Rishabh Pant’s knock of 89 runs chasing 328 runs to win but Pujara’s knock of 56 was equally important. The two added a stand of 61 runs, which in the end, turned out to be crucial.
77 Runs Off 205 Balls Australia - Sydney, 2021
This is another of his best Test knocks and it also came against Australia in the same series. While his 56 helped India to win at The Gabba, his 71-run knock in Sydney helped India draw the Test match and keep the series alive. India were chasing a target of 407 runs in the second innings. Pujara and Rishabh Pant (97 runs off 118 balls) added 148 runs for the fourth wicket. Pujara and Pant fell in quick succession and then it was some terrific batting defiance from Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari that helped India draw the Sydney Test and take it to the Gabba. In the end, India won the series 2-1, winning the Gabba Test.
153 Off 270 Balls vs South Africa - Johannesburg, 2013
Pujara was known as India’s crisis man and this was another innings from him with India in a crisis. The knock from him came back in 2013 when he was in his initial years in Test cricket. He scored 153 runs off 270 balls in trying and testing conditions in Johannesburg, giving an indication of what was to come from him for India in the future. He defied all odds and batted like his team depended on him and they did. His knock helped India post 421 runs in the second innings after they were bowled out for just 280 runs in the first innings.
193 Runs Off 373 Balls vs Australia - Sydney, 2019
This was his famous century at the SCG back in 2019. India won the series 2-1 during their 2019-20 tour down under and Pujara scored 521 runs in the series, including a mammoth 193 in Sydney. This Test match also ended in a draw after Pujara’s knock helped India post a total of 622 runs for seven wickets. The Test match unfortunately ened in a draw after rain played spolsport in the fifth day of the Test match.
102 * Runs Off 130 Balls vs Bangladesh - Chittagong, 2022
This was his last Test century against Bangladesh, which came after a long gap of three years. India won the series against Bangladesh 2-0 in Bangladesh. After scoring 90 runs in the first innings, Pujara backed it up with his a century in the second innings, which was his 19th and final Test century that resulted in India’s win. Bangladesh, chasing a target of 513 runs, were folded up for 324 runs.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Donates Iconic Signed 2023 World Cup Jersey and Bat to MCA Museum
