• Home
  • Cricket Analysis
  • Cheteshwar Pujara Never Gives Up Top 5 Knocks That Define Retired Stars Test Legacy

Cheteshwar Pujara Never Gives Up: Top 5 Knocks That Define Retired Star's Test Legacy

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Cheteshwar Pujara [Source: AFP Media]Cheteshwar Pujara [Source: AFP Media]

One of the last purists of the game of cricket, Cheteshwar Pujara, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. In an era obsessed with strike rates and boundary counts, the Indian cricketers lay elsewhere. His best knocks can be measured by runs alone, but in the currency of courage, grit, and resilience under pressure.

Pujara's career is a perfect example that greatness in the format is not always about what the scoreboard says. Sometimes, it is about standing firm when everything seems lost, becoming an impenetrable barrier for the team and displaying unshakeable mental fortitude.

In this article, we take a look at the top five Test knocks of Cheteshwar Pujara.

5. 202 vs Australia, 2017, Ranchi

Pujara displayed eleven hours of grit and Test match excellence during this innings. He faced 525 deliveries during his stay, which still stands as the most balls faced by an Indian in a Test innings.

Pujars' 202 in this match helped India secure a draw. The innings transcended traditional numbers and stats. It was a knock that represented the very soul of Test match cricket—where character beat charisma, and resilience reigned over reckless abandon.

4. 123 vs Australia, 2018, Adelaide

Batting at number three, Pujara played a knock that set up an epic win for India. With the team struggling at 86/5, Pujara remained unfazed by the situation and continued with unparalleled grit and determination.

Courtesy of Pujara's knock, India posted 250 runs in the first innings. The Indian bowling then bundled out the home team for 235, taking a 15-run lead.

Pujara came up with another defining knock of 71 runs in the second innings, which helped India reach a total of 307 runs, setting a target of 323 for Australia in the last innings. The Indian bowlers stood up to the challenge and bundled out the Aussies for 291 in the last innings, scripting a 31-run win. 

3. 153 vs South Africa, 2013, Johannesburg

Despite a gutsy knock by skipper Virat Kohli in the first innings, India were bundled out for 280 runs. The Indian bowlers did a brilliant job and restricted the home team to 244, giving India a 36-run lead.

In the third innings of the match, Pujara came up with a brilliant show. His 153 runs off 270 deliveries set the stage for a total of 421 for the Indian team. Although South Africa batted with tremendous grit and drew the game, Pujara's knock will be remembered by Indian fans for a long time.

2. 77 vs Australia, 2021, Sydney

After the humiliation of being bowled out of 36, India made a brilliant come back in Adelaide before the action of the series roled onto the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Under pressure, Pujara's 77 from 205 balls was the ice to Rishabh Pant's fire. Their 148-run partnership was the stage on which the epic partnership of Ravi Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari prospered and drew the game for the visitors. 

Pujara's five-hour vigil in the game was not just batting; it was meditation under fire.

1. 56 vs Australia, 2021, Gabba

This is a knock that has been inscribed in the folklore of Indian Test history. The team needed 328 runs to win the match and the series on Day 5 at the most impregnable fortress of Australia. They had not lost a match at the venue in 32 years, and the task seemed literally impossible. 

While people talk about the flamboyance of Shubman Gill and the heroics of Rishabh Pant in the innings, the daring knock by Pujara that set up the win often gets lost. He endured eleven body blows across five hours and 211 balls, setting the platform for India's wicketkeeper batter.

With every ball that Pujara played during his stay in the crease, he stepped closer to cricket immortality. His best and boldest tactical decision was to let deliveries hit his body rather than risk a catch, which showed his mental fortitude and game awareness. His resolution in the knock turned out to be the foundation of one of India's most memorable overseas Test wins.