India’s most determined Test batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara, has retired from all Indian cricket. The 37-year-old, who made his mark through patience and perseverance in an age defined by aggression, departs with a career characterized as much by runs as by the amount of time spent at the crease.
In a moving note on X (formerly Twitter), Pujara said, “Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and attempting my best every time I took to the field – words cannot describe what it actually meant. But as they say all good things must come to an end, and with great gratitude I have decided to retire from all types of Indian cricket.”
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… pic.twitter.com/p8yOd5tFyT
— Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar1) August 24, 2025
The batter hailing from Rajkot played 103 Test matches for India, making 7,195 runs at a batting average of 43.60 with 19 tons and 35 half-centuries. He also played 5 ODIs but made a name for India’s reliable No. 3 in the longest form of the game, following in Rahul Dravid’s footsteps of perseverance and traditional strokeplay.
The Rare Feat: Batting Across Five Days
Among the numerous records that differentiate Pujara, his capacity to play a full five days of Test cricket is unprecedented. There have been only three Indians in the history of cricket ML Jaisimha, Ravi Shastri, and Cheteshwar Pujara to attain this exceptional feat.
In March 2017 at Ranchi against Australia, Pujara played a marathon 525 balls over two innings, occupying the crease for 672 minutes. His double hundred not only infuriated Australia’s bowlers but also helped India dominate a high-profile series. That innings itself became symbolic of his career: unmoveable, patient, and stubborn.
But this was not a lone exhibition of resilience. Be it his 153 in Johannesburg in 2013, where he batted close to six hours on a difficult pitch, or his gritty 145* in Colombo in 2015 as an opener, Pujara repeatedly demonstrated a readiness to endure conditions and opposition.
The Australian Epics
If there was one series that encapsulated Pujara’s international career so far, it was the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. In four Tests, he spent more than 30 hours at the crease, scoring three centuries and 521 runs. His effort not only exhausted Australia’s pace bowling but also led India to their first-ever series triumph Down Under.
Two years later, during the 2020-21 series, Pujara once again stood as the face of India’s resilience. He soaked up 928 deliveries over four Tests, withstanding body blows from Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood but never backing down. His 56 off 211 balls at Brisbane became the pivot of India’s historic win at the Gabba, which solidified his image as the team’s warrior in whites.
Legacy of Endurance
Pujara concludes with 21,301 first-class runs, 66 centuries, and three triple-hundreds. His county and domestic cricket career also reinforced his hunger for long innings, so that his batting always wore the air of marathon.
As India gears up for the future, the No. 3 spot continues to be one of the most important positions in Test cricket. With Pujara lost, the question remains who will replace him as the anchor, the one who will bat sessions after sessions for the team’s cause?
For the time being, at least, though, Cheteshwar Pujara will be remembered not only for his runs, but for the eternal virtue of patience. In a rapid-fire world of cricket, he was the man who could bat for five days of a Test and make each minute tick.
