Cheteshwar Pujara has hung up his boots after an inspiring career. In a freewheeling chat with RevSportz’s Editor-in-Chief Boria Majumdar, he spoke about different subjects, including his potential coaching journey. Excerpts:
Boria: Why the call (retirement) now? Did you still not have cricket left in you?
Pujara: When I started playing junior cricket for Saurashtra, I always dreamt of playing for the country and when I got an opportunity to represent the U-19 Indian team, it became one of the proudest moments of my life, and since then my career has progressed. Then came in 2010 the opportunity to be a part of the Indian cricket team and play with some of the legends that I have grown up watching play cricket. It was yet again a very proud moment for me and since then things have been going really well for me. Yes, as a sports person you always have ups and downs, but when I look back at my cricketing journey, I think I have been really fortunate to have represented my country for so long. I managed to play more than hundred Test matches for the Indian team.
Talking about the retirement call, I spoke to my family, friends and consulted a few seniors about it. Over all, I felt that it is the right time to step out and give chances to the really talented young players in Saurashtra, for them to be a part of the playing 11 and get the exposure required to take the team forward.
Boria: When you look back, can you single out a high point of your career? Any series or innings that you can close your eyes and think to yourself, that ‘I have done that for India’?
Pujara: Firstly, I would say, the 2018 series on Australian soil. To have that first-ever Test series victory for India after more than 70 years was one of the proudest moments for me personally and even for the entire team. Then the one in 2021, despite having so many difficulties and changes in the team, and losing so many players for various reasons. All the young players who got an opportunity to play in the 11, played well and contributed to the team’s cause, hence we came out victorious. Also, talking about the last Test match at the Gabba, things were not in India’s favor, but as it turned out, in the last Test match, everyone batted really well and contributed to the team’s victory. So I’m fortunate enough to be a part of that particular Test match and the entire series.
Australia have been one of the toughest opponents that I have faced in my entire cricketing journey because Aussies are one of the very best teams in the world and they use various tactics on their opponents. So it’s never easy to perform against them. And not just those two series, the one in 2017 in India was also one of the toughest series I’ve been part of because we lost the first Test match in Pune and we were put under pressure in the second Test match in Bangalore where we had to fight really hard to win. That series was also amongst a very few series that India had to fight hard to win on home soil.
Australia were always a very tough and competitive opponent to win against, so those were my most memorable moments and satisfactory victories of my cricketing journey.
Boria: So many blows, black spots on the body, ball coming and hitting you, and you still not giving up. How was that possible?
Pujara: It’s very difficult to describe and I do not know how I did that but one thing I can say is that when you’re looking at the bigger picture and playing for your country, you put everything on the line for that one purpose and things do fall in place. Also, I do believe in a superpower or God and when you’re dedicated towards the game, doing everything you can do to do well for the country… you get that external support from somewhere. You get that mental toughness, the threshold to bear pain, because I do not know if I have to do it again whether I will be able to do it. As a sportsperson, when you get hit on the body, that is something you get used to, but when it keeps happening again and again and you get hit 3-4 times on the same spot, your pain threshold reduces and you get this temptation to score runs or get out as you cannot survive. Somehow, I got that strength, and as I mentioned it is hard to describe, but there was a superpower that was helping me throughout I believe.
Boria: Your cricket commentary is commendable, but would you want to contribute towards the Indian cricket in other ways like coaching, mentoring or NCA? What’s the plan?
Pujara: Yes, definitely. I haven’t honestly thought about my coaching journey, but if I get an opportunity, I’ll be more than happy. At the moment, I am enjoying my media work, my commentary stints, and also the analysis work because I’ve played with some of the players at the highest level, been a part of IPL franchise, played white-ball cricket for Sussex and Saurashtra. Although I haven’t played so much of white-ball cricket for the Indian team, but having played all the formats, makes me enjoy the analysis work that I do. But as I already mentioned, if there are other opportunities coming my way in the future, I’ll be happy to consider it. Right now, I honestly am not thinking about what I’ll do next because I just retired yesterday but I will see how the career progresses going forward.
Boria: Thank you very much for joining.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news