No Jasprit Bumrah as Cheteshwar Pujara picks the four toughest bowlers after announcing retirement 

England v India - First LV= Insurance Test Match: Day One - Source: Getty
Cheteshwar Pujara picked four overseas bowlers as the most challenging in his career [Credit: Getty]

Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara picked the four toughest bowlers he encountered during his career after announcing his retirement on Sunday, August 24 (via TOI). The 37-year-old went with two former South African pacers, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, along with England and Australia's James Anderson and Pat Cummins.

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Pujara struggled against the Proteas in his Test career, averaging only 30.41 in 17 matches with a lone century. His numbers dwindled further in South Africa with an average of 28.15 in 19 Test innings.

The champion batter averaged only 30 against Steyn and, even worse, 19 against Morkel, while being dismissed a combined six times against them. Pujara endured a torrid time against Anderson, averaging only 21.80 and being dismissed 12 times by the English pacer in Tests.

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While he averaged a healthy 39.51 against England in Tests, the figure went down to only 29 in England. Pujara had similar numbers against Cummins, averaging 22.50 against the Aussie skipper, while being dismissed eight times.

Yet, his Test numbers against Australia were impressive, with an average of 49.38 overall and 47.28 in Australia. Pujara was the Player of the Series in India's first-ever Test series win down under in 2018/19.

Cheteshwar Pujara picks his five most memorable knocks

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Cheteshwar Pujara picked his five favorite Test knocks from a stellar 103-match career. He started with his 145* in the series decider in Sri Lanka in 2015, when he made a comeback into the team and opened the batting.

The knock helped India pull off a 117-run victory and win the three-match series 2-1. The veteran's second pick was his 123 against Australia in Adelaide in the series opener of the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India eventually won 2-1.

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Pujara chose his double centuries against England and Australia at home in the 2012/13 season at No. 3 and 4. Both knocks occurred in Indian victories within a five-month period.

Cheteshwar Pujara's final choice was the second innings 92 against Australia in the second Test at Bengaluru in 2017, which helped India level the four-match series at 1-1.

The Saurashtra batter finished his remarkable Test career with 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries, in 103 matches.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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