Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, And Rohit Sharma: India's Match-Winners Ranked In Tests

Kohli vs Pujara vs Rohit [Source: AFP Photo]

On Sunday, veteran Indian batter, Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He revealed the decision on social media as Pujara followed Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin as the Indian stalwarts to have retired in 2025. One of the best number 3 batter of the nation, Pujara was out of the team contention since 2023.

Over the years, he held the fort at number 3 for India and was one of the best Test batters of the nation. With Rohit Sharma opening, Pujara at 3, and Virat Kohli at 4, India had a formidable trio, but they have all retired. The three players won countless games for India in red-ball cricket, and here is a detailed analysis of how the trio fared in home, and away conditions.

Pujara vs Kohli vs Rohit: Overall Test stats

• Kohli, and Pujara had exemplary Test numbers, but both had a dip in their career, and they failed to revive from it. While Kohli ended with an average of 46.85, Pujara ended his Test stint with an average of 43.60.
• Rohit on the other hand had a slow start to his Test journey, and eventually he picked up pace. However, the New Zealand, and Australia series turned out to be a final nail in the coffin as his average dropped to 40.57.

Pujara vs Kohli vs Rohit: Test stats at home

• As the table suggests, Pujara, Kohli, and Rohit all have outstanding numbers at home and have done well in spin-friendly conditions. Pujara, and Kohli have almost the same average, with the former India captain just edging. Despite playing just 34 games at home, Rohit also averages more than 50, with 10 hundreds to his name.
• There is not much to separate the trio at home, but Kohli just clears the other two, since he averages more, and has more hundreds to his name.

Pujara vs Kohli vs Rohit: away Test stats

• At home, the trio was almost equal, and had similar stats with nothing to separate them much. However, there is a clear difference when it comes to away Test matches. Pujara had an outstanding BGT 2018-29 series, but the batter lacked consistency in away conditions, and the stats tell the story. At home, he averaged more than 50, while it drops to 37.40 away.
• On the other hand, Kohli was the best of the lot, and always delivered in tricky conditions. His last few years were average in SENA nations, but at the peak of his powers, the former India captain excelled, scoring 16 centuries away from home. 
• Rohit, also had a similar case like Pujara. Excellent at home, but struggled to create much of an impact in difficult conditions, averaging a meagre 31.01.

Pujara vs Kohli vs Rohit: Test runs in winning cause

• This is where Rohit Sharma edges out both Kohli and Pujara. Out of his 4301 Test runs, he had scored 2985 runs in winning causes, which takes his winning percentage to a whopping 69.4, showcasing his ability to deliver for India.

• The same is the case with Pujara, who scored tough runs, and out of his 7195 Test runs, 4408 came in winning cause, taking his winning run-percent to 61.2.

• On the other hand, Kohli has the lowest win-percentage, with 51.4 percent of runs coming in winning causes for India.

Final ranking

Despite making their respective Test debuts almost at the similar times, the trio had a different Test journey. While Rohit struggled initially, and peaked after his 30s, Pujara, and Kohli had a more consistent form. However, what separates Kohli, and Pujara from Rohit is the fact that they achieved success in tricky away conditions.

Since 2013, they were a part of almost every single away Test win, and they played a huge part in India's success. Whereas, Rohit achieved most of his records at home. He comes third in the list of batters.

Pujara, on the other hand will always be remembered for his heroics in the BGT 2018-19, and the 2020-21, but apart from that, he didn't really love up to his expectations in away matches. Kohli, on the other hand played the lone warriors' knock in several away matches, and while his overall records dipped towards the twilight of his career, in his prime, he used to smash centuries for fun in tricky pitches, and hence, Kohli is ranked first, while Pujara is second.

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