Cheteshwar Pujara revealed, in an exclusive interview with India Today's Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai and Sports Consulting Editor Nikhil Naz, that his ultimate goal was to play for India again as he was eager to make a comeback to the Test team. Pujara announced his retirement from Indian cricket on August 24.
00:00Hello and welcome to an India Today Sports Today special.
00:10This week, one of contemporary Indian cricket's great batsman has called curtains on what's been a truly great career.
00:20A remarkable cricketer who's done the country proud.
00:24Chiteshwar Pujara has retired but not before making a name for himself as one of the icons of the modern game.
00:33And we're very happy to be joined by Chiteshwar himself soon after that retirement announcement that's taken many people by surprise.
00:41And by my colleague and editor of sports today Nikhil Nas.
00:45So thank you all very much for joining me.
00:47Chiteshwar, I'm using adjectives like great, remarkable icon.
00:51I know you are a very modest man.
00:54But now that you can look back on your career, how do you feel when people are showering all these praises on you calling you a contemporary Indian great?
01:05Firstly, thank you Rajdeep.
01:08I feel overwhelmed because last couple of days I've been talking to a lot of family members, friends, the cricketers I've played with, also extended family members and also all the cricket fans who have followed cricket in India and across the world.
01:26So I've been receiving a lot of phone calls and messages and I'm overwhelmed by all their wishes.
01:32I feel proud to have represented the country for such a long time because if I look back at this journey, when I was a kid, when I started playing cricket from Rajkot in a small state of Saurashtra, no one at that time thought that a cricketer from a small state could end up playing for the Indian team.
01:51But my father and my mother, both of them, I'm thankful to my parents that they made me see that dream to represent the country and I was fortunate enough to make my debut for the Indian team in 2010.
02:03And since then, this journey has begun and I'm really thankful to all the people who have supported me throughout this journey.
02:11But yeah, at the end of this journey, I feel really proud that I got an opportunity to represent our great nation where people are following cricket, not just in India, but Indian cricket fans who are living abroad, they follow cricket as well.
02:26And when you get their support, when you get their wishes on your, I mean, personally, I got a lot of wishes on my cricketing journey.
02:33And when the Indian team wins, that's the proudest moment one can always remember.
02:38So for me, I think some of the bestest victories I've been part of, those are the memorable moments in my cricketing journey.
02:45I'm going to hand it over to Nikhil in a moment, but I just want to ask you this.
02:52When you mentioned that some of the most memorable moments are winning test matches for India, I looked at your records and one of your many records, one stood out that out of your 19 test hundreds, 13 were in winning courses.
03:04That's a terrific percentage. I think only very few would have a better percentage than what you have.
03:11Does that make you feel specially proud that you've been instrumental in your test hundreds, actually winning tests for India?
03:20Yes, it does. Look, when you're playing cricket for the Indian team, it doesn't matter whether you get a hundred or not.
03:26But if you can make a contribution on the winning course, that's the ultimate satisfaction a player can get.
03:33And I was given some stat, not just about the hundred, but whenever I had scored more than 70 runs for the Indian team,
03:40Indian team hasn't lost more than 70 or 80% of that game.
03:44So, I think I am proud about that fact rather than thinking about 13 hundreds, which is, yes, obviously the hundreds means a lot to any batter.
03:54But when you have sport runs and the team is not on the losing side, whether India has ended up winning the game or drawing that game,
04:00I still feel proud that India hasn't been on the losing side.
04:03So, yeah, when you contribute to the team's victory, I think that is the proudest stat one can always achieve.
04:11Nikhil?
04:17A couple of questions, Sheteshwar, I have for you.
04:20And this is with regards to the retirement per se, because for those of us who follow sports 24-7, 365 days a year,
04:28this particular decision of yours did come as a bolt from the blue.
04:32I'd like to know from you, what is it, what was the breaking point or what was that one moment that you decided to retire?
04:39Because, till very recently, you were playing domestic cricket, you even went to England and played,
04:44so it was clear that there was some sort of an indication that you were very keen on making a comeback.
04:49Was it the Duleep Trophy squad announcement or was it the continuous, you know, exclusion from the test squad?
04:55What is it that one moment where you said, no, I think now I'm done?
04:59I think one needs to decide.
05:02There always comes a time in a sports person's life where you need to move on.
05:06And this thought actually came in just before a week's time when I started talking to my family members,
05:13because I was almost about to start my preparation for this season.
05:18So, I wasn't sure whether I want to carry on playing this season.
05:22So, I spoke to my family, I spoke to my friends.
05:24I also spoke to some of the teammates and the senior cricketers whom I always consult.
05:31And I thought that whether it's the right time for me to move on,
05:35because it gives an opportunity for a younger player to be part of the Sarasota squad
05:39and he can gain that experience, he can fill in that shoes and then, you know, progress in his career.
05:46So, I thought the decision was majorly on to provide opportunity to younger players to play first-class cricket,
05:53because I haven't been part of the Indian team since the last couple of years.
05:56So, for me, it was playing first-class cricket and playing county cricket.
05:59But I thought that this was the right time to move on from the game.
06:02I had also started doing media work, which I have been enjoying very much.
06:07So, being a broadcaster, if you want to carry on playing cricket and do broadcasting, that was a little bit tough.
06:13So, I thought that there comes a time where you just stick to one thing rather than, you know, keep playing cricket and still continue doing broadcasting.
06:21So, I thought this was the time where I can be a little more relaxed.
06:24I can always spend time with the players on the field, guiding them, but not as a cricketer, just as a support and a mentor.
06:32All right. That's lovely to know that, you know, broadcasting work is something that you've taken to.
06:37I did listen to your commentary and you did a great job doing that.
06:40So, you've crossed over to our side as well.
06:42So, you know, all the best for that particular inning of yours.
06:45But I'm just going back to your decision.
06:47In those two years that were not part of the squad, I believe that, you know, you must be pushing,
06:52that maybe you'll get a chance again, because previously as well, you've made comebacks.
06:56Did you ever have a talk with the selectors or did the selectors ever speak to you, what their future plans are?
07:02Or anyone from the BCC ever got in touch with you?
07:04Or did you take that initiative?
07:06And if you did, what was the conversation at the time?
07:09Well, I don't want to dwell too much on what went during those years.
07:15But yes, I mean, just to keep it very simple, I did want to make a comeback.
07:21I was trying my best to play domestic cricket.
07:23But at one point, what was in my mind is to enjoy my cricket.
07:27Whether I was playing first class cricket, whether I was playing county cricket,
07:30I wanted to enjoy the cricket, which I did.
07:33So, yeah, ultimate goal was to, if I get an opportunity to play for the country again,
07:38I'll be more than happy.
07:39But even if I don't, I wanted to enjoy my cricket.
07:42Because after a certain point, you want to, all these years I had worked really hard.
07:46And once you become a mature player, you want to enjoy your cricket.
07:50You want to spend a lot of time on the field by being relaxed and not having a lot of pressure.
07:55So, when you play first class cricket, you have a lot of teammates.
07:58You have a lot of colleagues.
08:00You don't need to mentally be, you don't have a lot of mental pressure.
08:05You just enjoy yourself.
08:06You just spend quality time on and off the field with your colleague and friends.
08:11And that's what I wanted to do in the last couple of years, which I did really well.
08:15So, I don't have any regrets about that.
08:17And if I didn't get an opportunity to represent the country in the last couple of years,
08:21I don't mind that.
08:22I think the young Indian team is doing really well.
08:25But at the same time, I'm really proud and I'm really content with how my career has went.
08:30I thought it was a phenomenal career where I had the opportunity to play alongside some of the great players when I made my debut.
08:38I mean, I can name players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS, Lakshman, Virendra Seva, Gautam Gameer.
08:44All of them were part of the squad.
08:46I mean, they were playing cricket then.
08:48Maipai was the captain.
08:49So, I got an opportunity to make my debut then.
08:53And after that, the Indian team went through a transition.
08:56And I played a lot of cricket with some of the modern greats as well.
09:00So, I was fortunate enough to represent the country in more than 100 test matches.
09:05And I'm proud of that fact rather than worrying about what didn't happen in the last couple of years.
09:10When I look back at this journey, I feel satisfied and I feel that I've tried my best for the country
09:17and have given some great memories to the cricket fans as well.
09:24Well, that's wonderful to listen to you, Chiteshwar Pujara, about the art of batting and so much more.
09:30We wish you all the very best.
09:32I know your wife has written a very interesting book.
09:35Pooja has written a book, by the way, The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife, a very unusual memoir.
09:40And I hope that now that you'll spend more time at home, she will make you cook her the nice kadhi chawal
09:47that is famous in your part of the world.
09:49But I wish you on behalf of all the cricket fans of this country a very happy retirement.
09:54And thank you for all the memories and what you've done for Indian cricket.
09:58And thank you to Nikhil, my colleague, for joining me.
10:01And thanks to you, the viewers, for joining us.
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