Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], August 24 : Cheteshwar Pujara, who became the latest Indian batting bigwig to call it a day across all forms of Indian cricket, made an honest admission about serving as a batting coach if the opportunity presents itself in the future.
After two years of exile from the Test side, Pujara on Sunday announced his decision to hang up his boots and set sail towards uncharted seas. During his years of absence, Pujara continued to grind in the domestic circuit and began a stint as a commentator.
He was a notable presence behind the mic in the recently concluded inaugural edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between England and India. Considering Pujara's refined technique, a role as a batting coach now doesn't seem too far away from him.
Pujara addressed the likelihood of him donning the coaching hat and said, while speaking to reporters, "I haven't thought about it yet, till now. I have only retired from cricket, so in the future I will be open to all the opportunities."
Pujara made his debut in October 2010 and continued to put in the hard yards in the Test format, during an era where T20 cricket and franchise leagues gained prominence. His true strength resided in the impeccable defence and temperament.
The 37-year-old pulled the curtains down on his career after 103 Tests with 7,195 Test runs at 43.60, laced with 19 hundreds and 35 half-centuries during a journey that spanned over 15 years.
He was a part of several stories of success; the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy remains at the pinnacle of his best heroics. In his 1258-ball marathon, Pujara conjured 521 runs at 74.42 and topped the scoring charts in the series.
He played the rescue act by notching his maiden Test ton in Australia when India was dwindling at 19/3 in the series opener. Pujara continued to rely on his instincts, pulverised Australia's attacks and then feasted on them to propel India to its first Test series win in Australia.
Pujara explained what prompted him to take the exit door and said, "This plan was going on for a week. I have not been a part of the Indian team for the last few years, but now I thought that this is the right time because young players have got an opportunity in domestic cricket, which is why I made this decision."
"When you take such a big decision, you take this decision only after talking to your family and your biggest players, so I consulted everyone, and then I decided that it is important to move on," he added.