"The 2018 series win in Australia stands out" - Indian cricketers salute retired Cheteshwar Pujara

The 37-year-old Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Sunday (August 24). It is the end of a great era of Indian Test cricket, where Pujara had a huge role in leading a generation with his incredible patience batting, which is rare now. 

Cheteshwar Pujara's cricket career

After making his international cricket debut during the 2010 Bengaluru Test against Australia, Pujara played 103 Tests and five ODIs for India. While the right-handed batter scored only 51 runs in his ODI career, he scored 7195 runs in his Test career with an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries. He recorded three Test double hundreds, including his best score of 206 not out against England during the 2012 Ahmedabad Test. 

Pujara faced 525 balls in his 202-run knock against Australia during the 2017 Ranchi Test. It is still a record by an Indian, as Pujara is the only Indian batter to face 500 balls in a Test innings (according to balls faced data in ESPNcricinfo).

In his first-class cricket career, Pujara scored 21301 runs in 278 matches with an average of 51.82, including 66 centuries and 81 half-centuries. Also, he was a great List A cricketer, who recorded 5759 runs in 130 matches with an average of 57.01, including 16 centuries and 34 half-centuries. He scored 1556 runs in 71 T20s (average 29.35), including one century and nine half-centuries. In his IPL career, Pujara played 30 matches and scored 390 runs (average 20.52), including one half-century. 

Pujara was known for his pure classy defensive batting, whose patience with the bat was astonishing. There were some Test matches, where the right-handed batter played the role of a wall and secured one side of the innings in a critical time. He was so special to Indian cricket that the Indian cricket family saluted him on his retirement.   

See Also: "Woh 3 din tak batting karta hai" - Know Rohit Sharma's first impression on Pujara

Watch how the Indian cricket family reacted to Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement