'Thought I’ll play Ranji, but…': Cheteshwar Pujara’s shocking revelation on retirement

India National Cricket Team Test batting great Cheteshwar Pujara has made a massive revelation on his retirement from all forms of cricket.

Cheteshwar Pujara said that he contemplated playing the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy, but decided against it at the last moment to give his spot to a younger player.

From about a week I thought a little that this is the right time - Cheteshwar Pujara

On Sunday, August 24, Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, bringing an end to his illustrious career.

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He played 103 Test matches for India and got the nickname 'The Wall' for his match-defining performances at the No.3 spot. Pujara scored 7195 runs in Test cricket at a good average of 43.60. He also played five ODIs, but didn't achieve much success.

Meanwhile, Pujara has revealed that he started thinking about his retirement very recently and thought it was the right time to move away from playing cricket.

"See, I didn’t think much about it earlier. From about a week I thought a little that this is the right time. So today when I took this decision, it is quite a proud moment for me and for my whole family.

"On this day I want to thank all my teammates, my coaches and all the support staff I worked with, because this is a proud moment for me. Representing the Indian team, from childhood, when I was small, it was always a dream to play for India. When that dream got completed and for so many years this journey went on, we created so many memories, so there are many proud moments in my career till now," Pujara said as quoted on India Today.

This was my personal call - Cheteshwar Pujara

Pujara made it very clear that he was not forced into retirement, and it was his personal decision to say goodbye to professional cricket to make way for younger talents.

"This was my personal call and I decided that this is the right time, especially when young players should get opportunities in domestic cricket. Earlier, I thought maybe I will play this Ranji season, but then I felt that if young players get the opportunity, they will be ready sooner. So this was my personal call. About the past few years when I wasn’t part of the Indian team, I don’t want too speak much," he added.

Also Read: Cricket board insults Cheteshwar Pujara with disgusting retirement post

Actually today is a proud moment, a happy day - Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara further said that he is quite proud of his achievements in cricket because he played for India for a very long time despite suffering two major injuries early on in his career.

"For me, this is a very memorable day, and the journey with the Indian team, the matches and the series we played, the team’s performances, they all mean a lot to me.

"Actually today is a proud moment, a happy day. I got the opportunity to play for India for so many years. In my career, I had two big injuries in 2009 and 2011, to recover from them and still play so many years, I never thought it would happen. So I am grateful that I got the chance to play for the Indian team for so many years," said Pujara.