On Sunday, August 24, Cheteshwar Pujara startled the cricket community by declaring his retirement from all cricket-related activities. After participating in five ODIs and 103 Test matches, the Saurashtra batsman concluded with 7246 international runs. Even with a fantastic List With an average of 57.01 from 127 innings, Cheteshwar Pujara didn’t have many chances to demonstrate his abilities in one-day international cricket.
His career spanned the startling rise in popularity of T20 cricket. He was limited to playing 30 Indian Premier League (IPL) games, though, and was largely unsold at auction. In the 2014 edition, he played his final game in the lucrative league. He was selected by the Chennai Super Kings for the 2021 Indian Premier League, but he did not play and was not sold at the auction that followed.
Cheteshwar Pujara encouraged young people to concentrate on doing well in all forms, pointing out that players had been selected for Test teams after excelling for India in the IPL or white-ball cricket. But according to the right-handed hitter, cricketers gain a lot of respect when they do well in Test matches.
Since times are changing, I honestly wouldn’t advise any of the younger players to concentrate solely on the Test format. The popularity of the white-ball game requires one to adjust to the future. White-ball cricket in addition to Test matches is undoubtedly the way of the future. Test cricket will continue to exist; it is not going anywhere. However, a young player must excel in the IPL or in India’s T20I and ODI teams in order to be selected for Test matches. “Your chances of making the Test team are extremely slim if you are not a good white-ball player,” Cheteshwar Pujara told India Today.
Although they are uncommon, there may be exceptions, such as when a standout Ranji Trophy player is selected. To be selected for the Test team, you must excel in the Ranji or Duleep Trophy. White-ball formats, however, are the simpler option. A young player should strive to play all three formats, in my opinion. I wouldn’t advise anyone else to make that decision because I missed out on the others. Since Test cricket is the best format, they should still aim to play it. “You must not only play, but also excel in red-ball cricket if you want to be respected and considered the best cricketer,” he continued.
I did lose out on contracts because I was labelled as a Test player. According to Cheteshwar Pujara, he was unable to reach his full potential in limited-over forms because he placed too much importance on performing well in red-ball cricket. The 37-year-old underlined, nevertheless, that he had no regrets about the decisions he made as a player.
“I had to give up something in white-ball cricket in order to succeed in Test matches. That made me pleased. You brought up the IPL. I participated in it, but because I was labelled a Test player, I did not get any contracts.
You have to be ready for the possibility that you will miss something else while serving the nation,” Cheteshwar Pujara stated.
But I don’t regret anything. I would have definitely taken advantage of the chance to play in all three forms or to be a regular in the IPL. However, I had to make a decision, and Test cricket was my choice. I’m happy I went with it, and I’m happy with my job thus far,” he continued.
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