Cheteshwar Pujara retires: 5 incredible feats you may not know he has achieved

Australia v India - ICC World Test Championship Final 2023: Day Two - Source: Getty
Cheteshwar Pujara in action during the 2023 WTC final - Source: Getty

Veteran Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on Sunday, August 24. Pujara made the announcement through a post on his official X handle.

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He made his international debut in 2010 in a Test match against Australia in Bengaluru. In 2013, he made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe. He played only five ODIs in his career and scored 51 runs. However, Cheteshwar Pujara established himself as a stalwart in the longer format.

He featured in 103 Tests and scored 7195 runs at an average of 43.60 with 19 hundreds and 35 fifties. Pujara last played a Test in 2023 during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval.

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He never returned to the side thereafter, and a retirement was pretty much on the cards. Pujara last played competitive cricket during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, where he turned up for Saurashtra and scored 402 runs from 10 innings at an average of 40.20 with a hundred.

The right-hander achieved numerous feats in his illustrious career. That said, here are five incredible feats you may not know Pujara achieved in his playing days.

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#5 Player of the Series in the 2006 U19 World Cup

Cheteshwar Pujara played the 2006 Under-19 World Cup for India. He played a massive role in their successful campaign. Unfortunately, they lost the final to Pakistan. However, Pujara had a memorable tournament. He ended as the leading run-getter.

The right-hander scored 349 runs from six innings at an average of 116.33 with a hundred and two half-centuries. For his consistent performance throughout the tournament, he was awarded the 'Player of the Series'.

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#4 ICC Emerging Player of the Year in 2013

Cheteshwar Pujara rose through the ranks and had a special year in 2013, when he won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award. Although he had played only two ODIs till then, he had scored over 1000 Test runs during the voting period.

He had an average of 82.53 and slammed four hundreds in 10 Tests. In 2013, Pujara had a solid year with the bat in the longest format. He scored 829 runs from 13 innings at an average of 75.36 with three hundreds, including a double hundred. Pujara became an integral part of the Test team ever since.

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#3 Most balls faced by an Indian in a single Test innings

Known as the 'Modern Day Wall', Cheteshwar Pujara seamlessly took over the place of the great Rahul Dravid in the Indian Test team. In his 103-match-long Test career, he faced 16217 balls.

Pujara was known for his patience, grit, and determination. He often batted the team out of tough situations and stood like a rock at the crease. The veteran batter holds the record for the most balls faced by an Indian in a single Test innings. During the 2017 home Test against Australia at Ranchi, Pujara faced 525 balls in his knock in the first innings and scored 202 runs.

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#2 Most runs in a single first-class season for India

Cheteshwar Pujara holds the record for the most runs in a single first-class season for India. He broke the record during the 2016-17 season with 1605 runs from 21 innings at an average of 89.16 with six hundreds and a top score of an unbeaten 256.

Pujara broke the record that was previously held by former Indian all-rounder Chandu Borde. Chandu Borde had scored 1604 runs from 28 innings at an average of 64.16 with six hundreds during the 1964-65 season. Pujara thus shattered a long-standing record.

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#1 Fourth Indian batter with over 20000 first-class runs

Cheteshwar Pujara was also a domestic stalwart and boasts of an incredible first-class career. In January 2024, during a Ranji Trophy game against Vidarbha, he became only the fourth Indian batter to score over 20000 first-class runs and joined an elite list.

Pujara finished with 21301 runs from 278 matches at an average of 51.82 with 66 hundreds and 81 half-centuries. He joined Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid. Gavaskar scored 25834 first-class runs. Tendulkar notched up 25396 runs while Dravid made 23794 runs.

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Edited by Rishab Vm
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