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Sanjay Manjrekar praised Cheteshwar Pujara’s resilience and calm, calling him a monk-like batter.
Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from international cricket on August 24, 2025. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, in his tribute to Cheteshwar Pujara, said that the former number three was good enough to score a 300 in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. Manjrekar said that Pujara made his runs in ‘tough’ conditions, but always carried a ‘very pleasant smile’.
Pujara retired from all forms of cricket on Sunday as the eighth-highest run-getter in Tests for India with 7,195 runs in 103 Tests at 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties. He was a rock at number three, someone from the old school of the sport who could stand hours against all kinds of bowling with patience and attrition.
“Had he gone to England this time around, the kind of bowling attack England had, the pitches that were there in that series, Pujara, even at this stage, would have ended up getting 300,” Manjrekar said on a video on his social media accounts.
“A couple of times, he was dropped from the Indian team, and one comeback that he made was in Sri Lanka, and he had to come back into the playing XI as an opener. And guess what he did? He batted right through the innings. That is Pujara for you, just unbelievable. A very likable person, no matter what. The career wasn’t easy, and for a defensive batter, the kind of grappling that he did, life was tough for him on the cricket field, but he always had this very pleasant smile on his face,” he added.
Manjrekar also praised Pujara’s monk-like stature on the cricket field.
“Naam mein hi puja hai (There is prayer in the name itself). Every time he was out on the cricket field and batting, especially, it seemed like ek lambi puja woh kar raha hai (he is doing a long prayer). It was like he was meditating with the bat in hand. I often called him a monk who likes to bat because it seemed like nothing rattled him,” he added.
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