Published - May 23, 2025, 17:55 IST | Updated - May 23, 2025, 17:55 IST
Updated - May 23, 2025, 17:55 IST
Cheteshwar Pujara is currently out of the Indian Test team. He has not been part of the squad since the World Test Championship final against Australia in 2023. India will tour England next month, but it looks unlikely that Pujara will be selected. However, the batsman has said that he is not available for selection.
Pujara made his Test debut in 2010 during the series against Australia. His career has spanned over 13 years, but he never got the chance to lead the Indian team as captain.
In a recent interview with a well-known Indian media channel, Pujara broke his silence on this matter. Along with his views on not getting the captaincy, he also shared his thoughts on the leadership styles of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma.
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Pujara said in a recent interview with a popular media outlet that he is not sad about not getting the captaincy. He believes in his own ability. Pujara said, "Captaincy is something that, if given to you, you take up that role. If it’s not given, you don’t go and ask for it.
Whenever I have captained—whether it was India A or Sussex, where I helped the team move from Division Two to Division One—I played the role of a senior player. Even in the Saurashtra team, I have led before. I understand what is needed as a captain and what ability is required.
So, whether you are the captain or not doesn’t matter. What matters is how you support the team, how you give input, and how you help. That’s more important. I have no sorrow or regret about not getting the captaincy."
Cheteshwar Pujara On His Bonding With Rohit Sharma ❤️. pic.twitter.com/CcsyQaIgoD
— 𝐉𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞 (@jod_insane) May 23, 2025
Cheteshwar Pujara made his Test debut in 2010 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. After that, he played under the leadership of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma.
Talking about playing under four different captains, Pujara said, "My debut was under Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). It was a special feeling. He always stayed calm. He could tell from a player’s body language how they were feeling. He would simply say—Don’t take too much tension, just play the way you always do.
Then, Virat became captain. He was aggressive and always wanted to win every match. With Virat, there was a strong desire to go out and win series abroad.
When I played under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy, he was also calm. I was the vice-captain then, and we used to talk a lot about the game. Then Rohit Sharma became captain. He speaks openly and shares whatever is on his mind.”
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