Cheteshwar Pujara, a trusted batsman of Indian Test cricket, has recently said goodbye to international cricket. He did not get a place in the Indian team since the World Test Championship Final 2023. Despite continuous efforts, he took retirement from his cricketing career on Sunday, 24 August. Pujara, who has been the backbone of Team India for a long time, is known for his patience and discipline, but his discipline also put his wife Pooja in difficult conditions many times.

Actually, an anecdote related to Australia tour of 2018-19 is recently in discussion again. On that tour, when Pujara was preparing for Sydney Test, he told his wife not to stay with him in the hotel. The reason was that he did not want to distract any kind of attention before the match.

“24 hours, find a new house …”

In an interview to The Lalantop, his wife Pooja Pujara mentioned the incident. He told that 3 days before the Test match, Cheteshwar had clearly told him that “you have 24 hours, you find another house or room for yourself. If you stay in the hotel with me, I will not be able to focus on preparation.”

There was also a debate between the husband and wife on this matter. Pooja tried to convince them that it is a stranger city and it would not be easy to find a different place for herself with such a small child. He requested that he should be allowed to stay in the hotel until a new house is found.

Shifted from hotel under compulsion

After a lot of efforts, Pooja hired an apartment nearby and shifted there with the daughter for a few days. This was very difficult for her, but she respected her husband’s decision.

Got big advantage

This discipline of Cheteshwar Pujara was also seen on the field. Pujara batted brilliantly in that series and scored a century. Pooja also forgot all the resentment after this victory. Pujara himself later admitted that this strategy proved to be effective.

Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all format of cricket. He wrote a passionate post, “Wearing Indian jersey, singing the national anthem, and trying to give his best as soon as you step on the field, it is impossible to say these things in words. But as it says, every good thing has to end. Every good thing has to end. I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket.”

Posting on social media, Cheteshwar Pujara wrote, “As a small boy from the small town of Rajkot, with my parents, I targeted the stars and dreamed of being a part of the Indian cricket team. Then I had no idea that this game would give me so much. Priceless opportunities, purpose, love, and most of the opportunity to represent my state and this great nation.

Cheteshwar Pujara retired

Pujara further wrote in his post, “I want to thank BCCI and Saurashtra Cricket Association for the opportunity and support received during my cricket career. I am also grateful to all the teams, franchisees and county teams that I represented for so many years.” Pujara also thanked the coaches of all the teams found in his career.

Thank fans

Cheteshwar Pujara further wrote in his post, “I reached the world because of the game and during this time the fans’ joshila support and energy was always with me. Wherever I have played, I got a lot of support and I will always be grateful to it.”

Referring to the family in his post, Pujara said that his contribution made his journey meaningful. He wrote, “All this, my family, my parents, wife Pooja and daughter Aditi, my in-laws and the rest of my family made my journey worthwhile. I am eagerly waiting for the next stop.”

Cheteshwar Pujara International Career

Pujara, 37, played 103 Tests and 5 ODIs in his international career. Pujara scored 7195 runs in 176 innings of 103 Tests, including 19 centuries and 35 half -century innings. Pujara’s Test journey was excellent, although he had not been able to make a place in the team for a long time.

Cricket photo gallery

Cricket web stories