Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth hailed Cheteshwar Pujara as one of India’s top three Test batsmen in Australia following the batter’s recent retirement. The 37-year-old announced his decision to retire from all formats of Indian cricket via his social media account on Sunday, August 24.
Pujara concluded his Test career with impressive statistics, amassing 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries across 103 matches. Beyond the numbers, he is especially remembered for his stellar performances in consecutive Australian tours during 2018/19 and 2020/21.
He was named Player of the Series in India’s historic first Test series win Down Under in 2018/19 and played a crucial role in the 2-1 triumph in 2020/21, facing the most deliveries and contributing several vital innings. Discussing Pujara’s standing among Indian batsmen in Australia, Kris Srikkanth remarked on his YouTube channel (6:07):
“It should be Sachin, Virat, Pujara as 1, 2, 3. We all know Sachin is god and Virat is king. But for Pujara to have played at their level in Australia is amazing. Fast bowlers always prefer batters playing shots so that their chances of taking wickets increases. But, the likes of Pujara made a deadly ball look like a dead-ball through his leaving abilities. That was his real strength.”
“Pujara Deserves More Recognition Despite Impressive Test Record in Australia”- “Srikkanth
Sachin Tendulkar (1,809) and Virat Kohli (1,542) remain India’s leading run-scorers in Tests in Australia, boasting averages of 53.20 and 46.72, respectively. Cheteshwar Pujara ranks fifth with 993 runs at an average of 47.28 from 11 matches Down Under. Despite these numbers, Srikkanth feels that Pujara has not been given the recognition he truly deserves, even following his retirement.
“My only frustration is over Pujara not getting the recognition someone with over 100 Tests deserves. Despite boasting such an incredible track record, no one is calling him a big player. As he retires, everyone is tweeting about him but not hailing him the way they should. Yet, so many other cricketers retiring dominate the headlines. That’s only because he doesn’t play ODIs or T20S,” he said.
The resilient batsman featured in just five limited-overs matches for India (all ODIs), managing a modest average of 10.20.
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