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Hours after Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of the game, it emerged that the Indian selectors had made it clear to the Saurashtra stalwart that there was no scope for him to stage a comeback into the Test team. Faced with this reluctance, Pujara decided to hang up his boots. In a gesture of selflessness, he even stepped aside from domestic cricket, creating space for youngsters to step up and chase their dream of representing India.
Sources revealed that Pujara had no immediate plans to retire. “After playing the last match of the season, he had made it clear that he would be back next year,” a source told Telecom Asia Sport. However, the constant rejection from the selectors over the last two years eventually made it difficult for him to carry on, even in domestic cricket.
His home team, Saurashtra, had been hopeful of seeing him continue, especially after his verbal assurance to play another season. But signs of his eventual exit had surfaced earlier. During India’s recent tour of England, West Zone selectors reached out to Pujara, urging him to feature in the Duleep Trophy. He declined and for many, that was the first clear indication that the writing was on the wall.
“It was very difficult for him to take this decision. A comeback was always going to be tough, but he certainly deserved a farewell. Anybody who plays over 100 Tests should be given a farewell match,” said former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri, who also coached Saurashtra and guided the team to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2019.
Sources also confirmed that Rahane is another senior cricketer who has been tacitly informed that he is no longer in the plans for India’s Test team. Whether or not Rahane decides to play one more domestic season remains unclear, but there is little doubt that both he and Pujara deserved a fitting farewell for their stupendous contributions to Indian cricket over the years.
Insiders further revealed that the selectors have been consistent in their stance of not considering Pujara and Rahane for national duty again. In fact, during one of the meetings to finalise the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy, when Karun Nair’s name came up for discussion, the names of Pujara and Rahane were also mentioned briefly—only as examples of players who would not be considered again for India because of the age factor.
Reading about Pujara being pushed toward retirement really shows how competitive Indian cricket has become. With the IPL spotlight getting bigger every year, I find myself paying even closer attention to match stats and team form. I’ve tried betting casually on both Stake and Baji, and while Stake is a big name, I personally ended up enjoying Baji more for cricket events. The IPL betting odds section there felt clearer and updated quickly during matches. After comparing both platforms side-by-side during last season’s games, Baji just worked better for my IPL tracking and small wagers.
The situation with Pujara and Rahane shows how quickly things can change in international cricket. Both were key players during India’s strong Test era, especially in overseas conditions, but the selectors now seem focused on rebuilding the squad with fresh talent for the future. According to reports, the selection committee has already made it clear that they are planning ahead and may not consider these veterans for upcoming Test series. Even so, many cricket followers still appreciate what they did for the team over the years. I personally enjoy following cricket discussions and team news closely, and to keep up with matches and sports updates I often check different mobile tools—many fans talk about using the https://parimatchbd.com/en-in/app/ as a convenient way to stay in touch with the latest sports action.