Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s stalwart at number three, has hinted at exploring coaching opportunities or contributing to the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy after his retirement from all forms of cricket. Speaking to PTI, Pujara reflected on his 103-Test career, which yielded over 7,000 runs, his memorable series wins in Australia, and the support from his late mother and father.
“𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑺𝒐, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝑪𝑨, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕,” 𝑷𝒖𝒋𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅.
He added, “I haven’t genuinely thought about it. Whenever there is any opportunity which arises, I’ll try and take a call then… In whatever manner I can contribute to Indian cricket, I’ll be more than happy to do so.”
Classical Test Batting Still Has Value
While acknowledging that the modern game emphasizes aggression, especially in white-ball cricket, Pujara believes classical Test match batting still has its place. Commentating during India’s recent series in England, he praised the calm approach of openers like K L Rahul.
“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒓𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅. 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆,” 𝑷𝒖𝒋𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
He also stressed the importance for young players to adapt to all formats, noting, “You should choose playing all three formats of this game because we are seeing more white-ball cricket now. When you perform well in white-ball cricket, you are automatically given a chance to represent the Indian Test team.”
Encouraging Signs From Young Players
Pujara highlighted examples like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair, who earned Test selection through strong performances in the Ranji Trophy, showing that traditional techniques still get rewarded.
“He [K L Rahul] is one of the best Test batters we have currently in the squad… technically correct and setting the foundation for the team. Hope he carries on like that not just in Test cricket but in other formats as well,” Pujara added.
Despite leaving the game, Pujara emphasizes that he wants to remain connected to cricket in any capacity, whether through coaching, mentorship, or broadcasting.
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