Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s rock at No. 3 for more than a decade, has announced his retirement from international cricket, drawing the curtain on a career built on patience, grit and runs in every corner of the world.

The 36-year-old made the announcement on social media late Friday, saying it was impossible to capture in words what wearing the Indian jersey had meant to him.

“All good things must come to an end,” he wrote, adding that he steps away “with immense gratitude.”

Pujara’s last Test appearance came at The Oval in June 2023, when India lost the World Test Championship final to Australia. By then, he had scored 7,195 runs from 103 Tests at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries. That tally places him eighth on India’s all-time run-scorers list.

He first walked into the national side in 2010, debuting against Australia. It took him a few innings to settle, but once he did, India had found a successor to Rahul Dravid.

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At home, he churned out hundreds against England and Australia, including a double century in Ahmedabad in 2012. Abroad, he was the man entrusted to blunt the new ball — often standing firm while stroke-makers played around him.

Pujara’s defining legacy may forever be his role in India’s famous 2020–21 series win in Australia. Bruised and battered, he absorbed hours of hostile bowling in Sydney and Brisbane, making scores that allowed his teammates to script one of India’s greatest triumphs. Against Australia alone, he piled up more than 2,000 runs in his career.

Though Pujara’s white-ball opportunities were limited in an era of big-hitting line-ups, he thrived in domestic cricket, averaging close to 57 in List A matches. His temperament — sometimes criticized for being too slow — was exactly what India needed in Test match crises.