Cheteshwar Pujara, last of India's Test purists, retires from all forms of cricket

India's batting stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara on Sunday announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket, bringing the curtain down on a career as gritty as it was iconic. He retired as India's eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, with 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries. Though a lean patch towards the end of his 103-Test career may have slightly lowered his average, the quiet fighter from Rajkot - who, as a boy, once faced a thousand balls a day under a neem tree at the 3 Kothi Ground under the watchful eye of his father, Arvind—will take immense pride in both the numbers and the journey.