Cheteshwar Pujara, who represented India in 103 Tests and five ODIs between 2010 and 2023, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Sunday, August 24. The cricketing world has since paid tribute to the stalwart batsman, who amassed 7,135 runs in Tests, including 19 centuries, over his illustrious career.
Pujara had not featured in India’s Test setup since the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final against Australia at The Oval, London. More recently, he and Ajinkya Rahane were excluded from the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy 2025.
Despite making contributions to Indian cricket comparable to those of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin believes Pujara never received the recognition he truly deserved.
“His contributions are on par with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma,” said Ravichandran Ashwin, praising Cheteshwar Pujara.
Often hailed as the true heir to batting legend Rahul Dravid, Pujara has proven himself a rock at the crease time and again. Ravichandran Ashwin recently reflected on Pujara’s extraordinary career, noting that while he often supported Virat Kohli in scoring runs, his own achievements were frequently overlooked.
“Ravichandran Ashwin: What did Cheteshwar Pujara mean for Indian cricket? I’ve always said his contributions are no less than those of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. Of course, a lot of attention goes to them, but that doesn’t diminish Pujara’s impact. His role at No. 3 was crucial, helping Virat Kohli make many of his runs,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Kohli and Pujara shared several remarkable partnerships, compiling 3,513 runs from 83 innings at an average of 43.37, including seven centuries and 18 fifties.
Ashwin also likened Pujara to a character from the hit TV series Game of Thrones.
“Cricket fans definitely recognize Pujara’s contributions. If you’ve watched Game of Thrones, there’s a character called a White Walker. I called Pujara a White Walker—he walks slowly but never leaves the field,” Ravichandran Ashwin added.
Pujara played a pivotal role in India’s historic Test series victories Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21. He scored three centuries in the 2018-19 series and, although he didn’t score heavily in 2020-21, he was crucial in helping India draw the Sydney Test and win in Brisbane.
