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Australia women’s captain Alyssa Healy has expressed surprise over the retirement of Cheteshwar Pujara, admitting she believed the Indian batter still had several years of cricket left in him.
Pujara, who played 103 Tests and five ODIs since his debut in 2010, announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday. His last appearance came in the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final against Australia.
Following his retirement, reactions from the cricket community have been pouring in, and Alyssa Healy has added her voice to the chorus.
Speaking on a YouTube channel, Healy expressed her shock upon discovering that Pujara is only 37 years old.
“It’s interesting, I didn’t realise he was only 37. I felt like he still had numerous years left in him. But if he does go down the media path, it’ll be great to pick his brain on cricket and batting in particular,” she said.
Alyssa Healy also reflected on Pujara’s defining role in India’s back-to-back Test series wins in Australia.
“He was a huge part of those two series wins. He kept their bowling attack out and drained them, making them work so hard,” she added.
“By the end, they stopped trying to get him out and only targeted the other end because they figured it was too hard.”
For the unversed, Cheteshwar Pujara was named Player of the Series in India’s historic 2018 Test series triumph in Australia, where he scored 521 runs at an average of 74.42, including three centuries.
He was also pivotal in India’s 2-1 victory in 2020, facing 928 deliveries.
Overall, Pujara amassed 7,195 runs in Tests at an average of 43.60, with 19 centuries and 35 fifties to his name.
READ: Rohit Sharma opens up on his sudden retirement from Test cricket
