Exclusive: Cheteshwar Pujara's massive revelation on retirement call despite making himself available for Ranji Trophy

India Test legend Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket after being ignored by the selectors for a very long time. Pujara's last outing in whites came in 2023 against Australia at The Oval. The 37-year-old ended as India's eighth-highest run-getter in the Test format, with 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60 with 19 centuries to his name.

Pujara played a crucial role during India's prolific Test run during the late 2010s was known for his fighting knocks in adverse conditions and his ability to soak in the pressure through classic Test match batting. He featured in the World Test Championship Finals of 2021 and 2023.

Pujara's decision to retire from all forms of international cricket sparked speculations because the batter called it a day despite making himself available for the Ranji Trophy to make his international comeback for India in the longest format of the game. In the exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, he revealed that it was his personal call so that the youngster would get an opportunity.

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"This was my personal call, and I decided that this is the right time and I think the young players should get an opportunity in domestic cricket. Earlier, I thought I might play the Ranji season, but then I thought if a younger player got an opportunity, they will be groomed early, so this was my personal call" Pujara told Sports Tak.

Pujara picked India's maiden Test series win against Australia in 2018 and the historic 2021 win in Australia as his most memorable thing of his international career.

"In 2018, the team won a series on Australian soil for the first time — that was a memorable moment for me. Then in 2021, they won the Test series again. Both of those series are very special to me" Pujara added.

Pujara made his international debut on October 9, 2010, against Australia in Bengaluru. One of the memorable performances for India came during the team's historic win in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19. He troubled Australia with his solid defence and technique.

Apart from international cricket, Pujara scored 21301 runs from 278 first-class games at an average of 51.82. The red ball veteran slammed 66 tons and 81 half-centuries throughout his first-class career with a best score of 352.