Rohit Sharma vs Cheteshwar Pujara - comparing their stats in the Ranji Trophy 

Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara constitute two major members of the recent string of Test retirements in Indian cricket. The top-order batters had relatively fulfilling careers in the longest format, making their debuts about the same time, and playing massive roles in India's World Test Championship (WTC) campaigns since 2019.

Before coming onto the international circuit, both Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara had staggering numbers in first-class cricket. Although the Hitman's involvement reduced over the years due to his white-ball commitments, as well as leadership ability, Pujara continued to be among the runs until his final season.

On that note, let us compare Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara's stats in the Ranji Trophy over the years.

Cheteshwar Pujara Ranji Trophy Career

The gritty batter made an instant impression after making his debut during the 2006-07 season for Saurashtra. He scored over 500 runs in his maiden season, before being the leading run-scorer in the next season.

Pujara amassed close to 1,000 runs in the 2008-09 season, which ended up being his highest run tally for a single season. His involvement in the next couple of Ranji seasons were largely impacted due to the serious ACL injury he sustained during IPL 2011.

However, with an average of 125.8 and a career high score of 352 during the 2012-13 season, he made a resounding comeback. Over the next set of years, he was only available on a sporadic basis as he had become an established member of the Indian Test batting order.

He went onto play a massive hand in Saurashtra's Ranji title win in the 2019-20 campaign, including a gritty fifty in the first innings of the final against Bengal while playing at No.6. After being dropped from the Indian team in 2022 and 2023, he continued to grind in the domestic circuit, piling on over 800 runs in 2023-24 campaign, and ending as the third highest run scorer of the tournament.

Season	Matches	Runs	Average	Hundreds
2006-07	7	595	59.4	2
2007-08	8	807	73.36	3
2008-09	9	906	82.36	4
2009-10	5	554	79.14	1
2010-11	2	28	14	0
2011-12	4	200	33.33	0
2012-13	3	629	125.8	2
2013-14	3	401	100.25	2
2014-15	3	208	52	1
2015-16	6	268	33.5	1
2016-17	1	93	93	0
2017-18	4	437	87.4	2
2018-19	4	311	62.2	1
2019-20	6	575	63.88	1
2021-22	3	191	47.75	0
2022-23	2	121	40.33	0
2023-24	8	829	69.08	3
2024-25	7	402	40.02	1

Rohit Sharma Ranji Trophy Career

The Hitman was one of the biggest names in the talented Mumbai circuit when he made his debut in the 2006-07 season. He soon made his international debut with the T20I side, but his Test career was not progressing as hoped. He had no choice but to toil hard in the domestic circuit after his debut was pushed back due to an unfortunate last-minute injury in the warm-up ahead of a Test against South Africa in 2010.

His initial call-up was justified as he had an unreal set of seasons from 2008 to 2010. He was the fifth leading run-scorer in Mumbai's victorious 2008-09 campaign, and the second-highest run scorer during the 2010-11 season, boasting an average of 100.

His rich vein of form continued in the next couple of season, before his run of regular appearances came to an end as he became India's first-choice opening batter.

He featured in a one-off game during the 2015-16 season, and returned to the competition after a lengthy absence following BCCI's mandate regarding domestic appearances for contracted players. He featured in Mumbai's group stage game against Jammu and Kashmir during the second half of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, which ended up being his final red-ball ball appearance.

Season	Matches	Runs	Average	Hundreds
2006-07	8	531	48.27	1
2007-08	5	191	27.28	0
2008-09	7	747	74.7	3
2009-10	6	527	87.83	2
2010-11	6	732	122	2
2011-12	3	339	113	2
2012-13	6	712	71.2	3
2015-16	1	113	113	1
2024-25	1	31	15.5	0

Rohit Sharma's overall Ranji Trophy career pales in comparison to the first-class giant that is Cheteshwar Pujara

Rohit Sharma ended up playing less than half of the matches that Pujara did in the Ranji Trophy, and scored just over half of his run tally. In terms of average, the Hitman has a slight lead, but the lack of matches becomes a massive negating factor.

In terms of personal milestones, Pujara is the landslide winner with 25 hundreds, compared to his former skipper's 14.

Overall, Pujara finished his career with 7736 runs in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 63.93 in 89 appearances, while Rohit Sharma posted 3923 runs in 43 matches at an average hovering around the 70-run mark.