Cheteshwar Pujara retires: ‘As a little boy from the small town of Rajkot, I set out to aim for the stars…’

“Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and trying my best each time I stepped on the field – it’s impossible to put into words what it truly meant. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and with immense gratitude, I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket.”

Pujara made his Test debut against Australia in Bengaluru back in October 2010 and went on to play many crucial knocks against one of the best sides in the world, most memorably starring in a hard-fought series win Down Under. Away from India, it was in Australia that he had the most succes in, scoring 993 runs in 11 matches at an average of 47.28 with three centuries and five fifties. Apart from a stellar red-ball cricket career where he made over 21,000 first-class runs, Pujara featured in five ODIs but didn’t enjoy much success.

Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and trying my best each time I stepped on the field – it’s impossible to put into words what it truly meant. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and with immense gratitude I have decided to retire from all forms of… pic.twitter.com/p8yOd5tFyT

— Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar1) August 24, 2025

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“I would like to thank the BCCI, and Saurashtra Cricket Association for the opportunity and support through my cricket career. I am equally grateful to all the teams, franchises and counties I have been able to represent over the years. I wouldn’t have made it this far without the invaluable guidance of my mentors, coaches and spiritual guru – to them I shall always remain indebted. A big thank you to all my teammates, support staff, net bowlers, analysts, logistics team, umpires, ground staff, scorers, media personnel and all those who tirelessly work behind the scenes to enable us to compete and play this game we love. To my sponsors, partners and management team – I truly appreciate your loyalty and belief in me over the years, and for looking after my off-field activites,” Pujara added.

Pujara hadn’t played for more than two years in Test cricket, during a period where the likes of Ashwin Ravichandran, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements – all teammates of his during one of India’s most dominant phases in the longest format. Recently, he had donned the role of a broadcaster during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

“The game has taken me to places across the globe – and the passionate support and energy of the fans has always been a constant. I have been humbled by the wishes and motivation wherever I have played and will always remain grateful.
And of course, none of all this would have been possible or meaningful without the innumerable sacrifices and steadfast support of my family – my parents, my wife Puja, my daughter Aditi; my in-laws and the rest of my extended family – who have made this journey truly worth it. I look forward to the next phase of my life, spending more time with and prioritizing them,” Pujara signed off.