Cheteshwar Pujara (born 25 January 1988) is a former Indian cricketer who batted at number three in Tests for more than a decade. Known for his patience and his sound defence, he scored 7,195 runs in 103 Tests with 19 centuries. He was the player of the series when India won a Test series in Australia for the first time, in 2018–19, and took repeated blows to the body to help win the next one in 2021. He retired in August 2025.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara |
| Born | 25 January 1988, Rajkot, Gujarat, India |
| Age | 38 |
| Role | Top-order batter (right-handed) |
| International career | 2010–2023 |
| Test record | 7,195 runs in 103 matches, 19 centuries |
| Domestic team | Saurashtra |
| Father and coach | Arvind Pujara |
| Spouse | Puja Pabari (m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 (Aditi) |
| Honour | Arjuna Award (2017) |
Early Life
Pujara is the son of Arvind Pujara, a former Ranji Trophy wicketkeeper for Saurashtra who worked for the railways and coached his son from the age of eight. His uncle Bipin also played first-class cricket. His mother, Reena, who encouraged his discipline, died of cancer when he was seventeen. He scored a triple century for Saurashtra’s under-14 team and was the leading run-scorer at the 2006 Under-19 World Cup.
Career
In 2008 he scored three triple centuries within a month in domestic cricket. On Test debut against Australia in Bangalore in October 2010 he made 72 in a successful run chase. He scored 206 not out against England at Ahmedabad in 2012 and took over the number three position from Rahul Dravid.
In 2018–19 he scored 521 runs with three hundreds, facing 1,258 balls, as India won 2–1. In 2020–21 he made slower runs but occupied the crease for hours; on the last day at Brisbane he was hit eleven times on the body and helmet while scoring 56, wearing down the bowlers before Rishabh Pant finished the chase.
Dropped in 2022, he scored heavily for Sussex in English county cricket, which he also captained, and won his place back. His last Test was the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June 2023. He continued for Saurashtra, with whom he won the Ranji Trophy, and announced his retirement from all Indian cricket on 24 August 2025.
Personal Life
He married Puja Pabari in 2013, and they have a daughter. Puja wrote a book about their life in cricket, The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife (2025). He now works as a commentator.
Records
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Cheteshwar Pujara born?
Cheteshwar Pujara was born on 25 January 1988 in Rajkot, Gujarat, India and is 38 years old.
What is Cheteshwar Pujara’s role?
Role: Top-order batter (right-handed).
Featured image: Cheteshwar Pujara during an India training session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, January 2015. Photo by NAPARAZZI, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
