Cheteshwar Pujara Reveals Four Most Challenging Bowlers After Retirement

Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara shared the names of the four toughest bowlers he faced in his career after announcing his retirement from international cricket.

In a post-retirement interview with Indian media, the 37-year-old named two South African pacers, one from England, and one from Australia. He said Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel from South Africa, James Anderson from England, and Pat Cummins from Australia were the most difficult bowlers for him.

Pujara’s record against South Africa in Tests was not strong. He scored at an average of 30.41 in 17 matches with only one century. His numbers were worse in South Africa, where he averaged just 28.15 in 19 innings.

Also Read -Cheteshwar Pujara vs Sourav Ganguly – Statistical Comparison After 103 Test Matches

Pujara’s Struggles Against Top Bowlers

The numbers show how much Pujara struggled against them. Against Dale Steyn, he averaged only 30, while his average fell further to 18 against Morne Morkel. Together, the South African duo dismissed him six times.

Against James Anderson, Pujara averaged just 21.80 in Tests and was out to the English pacer 12 times. Pat Cummins also troubled him, dismissing him eight times while Pujara averaged 22.50 against him.

Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on Sunday. He played 103 Tests and five ODIs after making his debut in 2010. He scored 7,195 Test runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties. At home, he averaged 52.58 with 3,839 runs. His last Test was the WTC final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023.

He is also one of only three Indian players, alongside ML Jaisimha and Ravi Shastri, to bat on all five days of a Test match. Interestingly, Pujara did not include Jasprit Bumrah among the toughest bowlers, as he faced him only once in IPL 2024 and scored four runs off five balls.

Pujara’s Five Best Knocks

Pujara also picked his five favourite Test innings. His first choice was 145* in Sri Lanka in 2015, a comeback innings that helped India win the series 2-1. His second was 123 against Australia in Adelaide in the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India went on to win the series 2-1.

His next two picks were double centuries against England and Australia at home in the 2012/13 season, both in winning causes. His final choice was the fighting 92 against Australia in Bengaluru in 2017, which helped India level the series 1-1.

Pujara ended his career with 7,195 Test runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries, in 103 matches.