Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday, August 24th. The 37-year-old right handed batter from Rajkot played 103 Test matches for India from 2010-2023 and scored 7195 runs. During his 13-year long Test career, Pujara faced many greats of the game. When he was asked to name the toughest bowlers he faced, Pujara mentioned the names of two premier South African pacers, but that list didn’t include Kagiso Rabada’s name.
Cheteshwar Pujara picks out his 4 bowlers leaving out Starc and Rabada.Â
Cheteshwar Pujara took the names of former South African speedsters Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and also added England’s James Anderson and Australia’s Pat Cummins to the list as well.
Speaking to Times of India, Pujara said: “Across my career, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, and Pat Cummins have been among the most challenging bowlers I’ve faced.”Â
Rabada & Starc’s records overall and against India.Â
Kagiso Rabada is one of South Africa’s greatest all-format bowlers. The 30-year-old pacer picked up a five-wicket haul in the 2025 WTC final at Lord’s earlier this year has taken 336 wickets in 71 Test matches played so far. He has accounted for 55 wickets in 14 Test matches played against India.
Cheteshwar Pujara did include an Australian in the list but it was not of Mitchell Starc. The left-arm pacer Starc played 100 Tests for Australia and has managed to take 402 Test wickets. Against India, he has managed to pick up 66 wickets in 23 Test matches.
Steyn, Morkel, Cummins, & Anderson’s Records against India.Â
Dale Steyn played 14 Test matches against India and picked up 65 wickets. His South African partner Morne Morkel picked up 58 wickets in 17 Test matches against India. Pat Cummins is the only active-member in this list and he has so far taken 75 wickets in 18 matches against India.
The legendary James Anderson who recently retired has picked up 149 wickets in 39 Test matches against India.
Cheteshwar Pujara: 8th highest leading run-scorer in Tests for India.Â
Cheteshwar Pujara finished his Test career with 7,195 runs as we all know. This makes him the eight leading run-getter for India in Test cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly has scored more runs than him for the Indian Cricket Team in Test Cricket.
Cheteshwar Pujara was a giant in Indian cricket and he served the nation with aplomb for over a decade. He has played many bowlers in this time period and his views of picking the four that he did must be respected because they are all quality players. Not picking Rabada and Starc does not mean Pujara considers them as inferior bowlers. It’s just that the four that he picked must have troubled him the most. Views must also be respected by everyone.
We know what talent Starc and Rabada is in this modern day game and before, but the likes of Steyn, Morkel, Cummins and Anderson were legends as well with Cummins still playing in this present day and age. Pujara must have had challenges facing everyone, but because he was told to pick 4 bowlers, he chose what he did. But all these players redefined cricket and while Pujara is a legend for India, these bowlers are equally good in their own way.
We have to wait and see what Pujara does in his second innings as a commentary stint cannot be ruled out. He did excellent commentary for Sony Pictures Sports Network in the recently-concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and who knows he may now become a permanent commentator for India matches. There is no doubting Pujara’s knowledge, skills and his expertise in his comments. The others will continue playing. Let’s see how things unfold for Pujara in his second innings, a life after cricket player.
Also Read:Â IND VS WI: 3 Best Knocks Of Cheteshwar Pujara In Test Cricket