Cheteshwar Pujara, India's modern-day wall, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket today, bringing an end to a remarkable career defined by
grit, patience, and unflinching determination.
His last appearance for India came in the 2023 WTC Final against Australia. Over the course of 103 Tests, Pujara amassed 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, scoring 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries, with his highest score being an unbeaten 206 against England.
When history looks back at India's remarkable triumph at the Gabba in 2021, Rishabh Pant's flamboyant match-winning stroke will naturally take center stage. But hidden beneath the roar of victory was a warrior who absorbed the storm so others could bask in the sunlight and that is Pujara, who's name will be written in bold letters.
On that unforgettable Day 5, Pujara's 56 off 211 balls was not merely a statistic. It was a story of grit written on his body. He was struck 11 times by Australia's fiery pace attack-each blow a reminder of his resilience, each moment a testament to why he was called India's shield.
The sequence of hits tells its own tale: a bottom glove blow from Mitchell Starc at 16.5 overs, a crunching strike on his left bicep from Pat Cummins at 30.1, a jarring hit on the helmet at 32.5, another painful blow below the neck at 34.3, back thigh at 36.2, chest at 36.5, and yet he stood unmoved.
The barrage continued-Cummins again on the bottom glove (40.3), Starc on the glove (43.1), Hazlewood below the left elbow (44.3), another stinger on the glove (48.2) that made him drop his bat, and finally a hit on the helmet at 50.5 that dislodged his neck guard.
Through it all, Pujara did not flinch, did not show pain, and did not surrender. "From my early days, I am not in the habit of taking pain-killers. That's why threshold to bear pain is pretty high. You play for so long, you get used to getting hit," he once explained. That statement perfectly encapsulates the man who was willing to be India's wall, no matter the cost.
He was India's Abhimanyu from the Mahabharata-surrounded, targeted, battered, but unbroken. He did not hit the winning runs; he didn't need to. His role was to endure so that victory could exist.
Cheteshwar Pujara's legacy is not one of flair or highlight reels. It is built on discipline, mental toughness, and the willingness to sacrifice personal glory for the team's triumph. His Gabba masterclass stands as one of the bravest innings in cricket history-a reminder that in Test cricket, sometimes the quietest contributions are the loudest of all.
