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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday, August 24, expressed “a pang of retreat” after India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara decided to hang up his boots from all formats of the game. The 37-year-old middle-order batter announced his retirement earlier in the day. Mainly known for his exploits in Test cricket, Pujara last appeared for India in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, England, in June 2023.

“All good things must come to an end, and with immense gratitude I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket,” Pujara tweeted.

Also read: Pujara retires: Indian cricket fraternity hails his grit and resilience

In a long note on X, the parliamentarian said, “I can’t help feeling a pang of regret at the retirement of @cheteshwar1. Even if it was inevitable after his recent string of exclusions from the Indian team, and even if he has nothing left to prove, he deserved a little longer in the saddle and a dignified farewell worthy of his outstanding Test career for India.”

All praise for Pujara’s efforts

Praising the cricketer’s resolve after getting dropped from the national side, Tharoor said he returned to domestic cricket with typical gumption and scored quite a few runs. He said the selectors decided to ignore him and move on, and one could not blame Pujara “for deciding to throw in the towel”.

Tharoor also referred to the book Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife, authored by Puja Pujara, the cricketer’s wife, and saluted the just-turned-former cricketer’s on-ground feats.

Also read: Cheteshwar Pujara retires from all forms of cricket

“He first caught my eye on an India A tour of England, 20 years ago, when his consistent scoring suggested he was ready for the next level. The selectors agreed, he made a precocious 72 in his second innings on debut, & despite one or two setbacks thereafter, went on to become India’s Mr. Reliable at number three. He was badly missed on the last tour of Australia,” he said, thanking Pujara for his years of service to Indian cricket.

Key role Down Under

Pujara was one of the chief architects of India’s historic Test series win in Australia in 2018-19 as he ended up scoring 521 runs and played more than 1,000 balls, a feat not many batters have achieved in the world of cricket.

The batter, who was seen as a successor to Rahul Dravid for his sound technique, played 103 Tests between 2010 and 2023, scoring 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60. He scored 19 centuries and 35 fifties.

He was less visible in the white-ball formats and appeared in only five One-day International matches in 2013-14, scoring only 51 runs. Although he never represented India in T20 Internationals, Pujara played 30 Indian Premier League matches and has 390 runs. His recent-most appearance on the 22 yards came in February this year when he played a first-class match for Saurashtra against Gujarat.