Even two days after his retirement from international cricket, Cheteshwar Pujara, known as 'Chetesh Warrior', opened up on his epic Gabba Wall, life after retirement, and the legacy he leaves behind, after scoring more than 7000 runs in 103 Tests. Taking to Instagram, the veteran batter stepped away from the game, which has given him love, adulation, and huge respect among his peers and competitors.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the cricketer reflected on his wonderful journey, and fondly remembered his monk like presence in the crease during many of India's famous overseas Test wins. While Pujara has always been largely appreciated for his playing style, there was a point in his Test career, where the then coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli wanted him to bat aggressively.
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The 37-year-old spoke in length, recalling that while initially people thought he is too defensive, later they respected his style of play.
"Well, as I was mentioning earlier, one has to stick to their strength, and that's what I did in my cricketing journey. My strength was to defend the ball well, try to play according to the merit of the ball, and also understand different phases of the game. Based on that, whatever is best for the team, that's what you try to do. Over a period of time, people understood what my strength was. Early in my career, people sometimes thought, "
This guy can play very aggressively, but he's not playing," but I didn't have that strength. Over a period of time, whether it was Ravi Bhai, Virat, or anyone else, they understood that my strength was slightly different, and then they respected that. That's why one can be successful at the highest level. If you don't play according to your strength, you can't be successful. And as long as you are doing the right thing for the team, you don't need to worry about anything else."
Pujara on the Mr. Dependable tag given by the media and players
Cheteshwar Pujara also spoke at length about the Mr. Dependable tag that he got from his teammates and critics for always putting a price on his wicket. The cricketer said the tag did not put any undue pressure on him as he always looked up to Rahul Dravid.
"Not really. I always looked up to Rahul Bhai; I've learned a lot from him. So, when I was put in at number three, I never compared myself with Rahul Bhai; I always wanted to play alongside him. And when I actually made my debut, I was playing alongside him. I got an opportunity to learn a lot, not just from Rahul Bhai, but even from some of the great players who were part of the Indian team. If you look at the Indian team when I made my Test debut in 2010, Rahul Bhai was there, Sachin Tendulkar was there.
Also Read: ‘No one in Rajkot even dreamt you could play for India’ — Pujara reflects on his fantastic journey
We had VVS Laxman, who was also there. Then, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir used to open the innings at that time. M.S. Dhoni was the captain. Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh-some of the great players India had produced, were part of that squad. I might be missing a few more names, but it was a great moment for me to have made my debut with some of the great players because when you are part of that, you learn a lot as a young player, and that experience has taught me a lot in my cricketing journey."
After retirement, Pujara has entered into broadcasting, and he says he wants to continue to do that. He has also made it very clear that he won't turn up for a First-Class game or a County match. However, the former India player is open to taking a coaching role if and when it arrives. Pujara last featured in a game in a County match. He finishes his India Test career with 7,195 runs with an average of 43.61, with 19 tons and 35 fifties. He finishes as the eighth-highest scorer in the all-time India batter's list in Test cricket.
Also Read: MS Dhoni did not like me: Manoj Tiwary's scathing attack on former captain
