Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement leads to Dinesh Karthik's explosion on Gautam Gambhir

Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s wall in Test cricket for over a decade, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Sunday, August 24. Cheteshwar Pujara was one of the toughest and most dependable players of his era in the longest format of the game.

Despite his unmatched contribution, the silent warrior of India didn’t get a farewell match that many felt he deserved, and it sparked a strong reaction from the former cricketers, including the former wicketkeeper-batter and commentator Dinesh Karthik.

Cheteshwar Pujara retires without a farewell, Dinesh Karthik takes aim at Gautam Gambhir

While fans paid tribute to Pujara for his marathon knocks that saved India countless times, former cricketers and cricket experts have been discussing how the right-handed batter’s ability to bat for hours helped his teammates in the tough conditions both at home and away.

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The Saurashtra cricketer’s patience and resilience in Australia forced world-class fast bowlers into long, draining spells, creating opportunities for India’s stroke-makers to flourish, and it was evident during the team’s historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumphs in 2018–19 and 2020–2021.

Reacting to Cheteshwar Pujara’s retirement, Dinesh Karthik has indirectly slammed the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir for the way Cheteshwar Pujara was treated. The commentator has insisted that Gambhir had taken Pujara’s grit and hard work for granted.

Dinesh Karthik indirectly slams Gautam Gambhir for taking Pujara for granted

Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz, “A lot of people have actually sometimes taken Pujara for granted.”

Meanwhile, Pujara’s greatness in Australia was not just about runs but about timing and patience. He faced more than 2,100 balls in 15 innings across two tours to Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, forcing bowlers into long spells, and it worked in India’s favor.

And even the well-known broadcaster Harsha Bhogle admitted that Pujara’s ability to play time has helped the middle order to flourish in Australia.

Harsha Bhogle hails Cheteshwar Pujara’s greatness

Bhogle told Karthik on Cricbuzz, “Absolutely, no doubt. There's this story, I think, where Tim Paine says, "Don't you get bored of batting?" What he was doing there was getting the fast bowler back into a fourth, fifth, or sixth spell. And I think if you see, like, all of Pujara's innings, the progression is very interesting to see.”

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He added, “Pujara batted 2186 balls in 15 innings on that last tour. Can you imagine? We are seeing in this era where matches are ending in three or four days that playing time is making such a big difference. And I'd like to see a little bit more of that playing time. And Pujara did that magnificently.”

Here's Pujara's retirement post -

On the other hand, announcing his retirement from the game, Pujara posted, X: “Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and trying my best each time I stepped on the field—it’s impossible to put into words what it truly meant."

Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the anthem, and trying my best each time I stepped on the field - it’s impossible to put into words what it truly meant. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and with immense gratitude I have decided to retire from all forms of… pic.twitter.com/p8yOd5tFyT

— Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar1) August 24, 2025

In his career, Pujara represented India in 103 Tests and 5 ODIs, scoring 7195 runs and 51 runs, respectively. He has 19 centuries and 35 fifties to his name in Test cricket.