Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara bid farewell to all formats of cricket on Sunday (Aug 24). The modern-day wall featured in 108 internationals, including 103 Tests, scoring 7,195 runs in red-ball cricket at an average of 43.60, with 19 centuries to his name. Reliable both in home and away conditions, Pujara became India’s backbone in the longest format for more than a decade. From his debut in 2010 against Australia until his final Test at The Oval in 2023 against the same opposition, Pujara faced some of the best bowlers across eras. But have you ever wondered who he himself rated as the toughest to face?
Well, there were four. According to a report by the Times of India (TOI), Pujara revealed that Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, and Pat Cummins were the bowlers who tested him the most during his career. Notably, he didn’t include India’s own pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah or Australia’s Mitchell Starc in that list.
“Across my career, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, and Pat Cummins have been among the most challenging bowlers I’ve faced,” Pujara was quoted as saying.
The stats back that up. Against Steyn and Morkel, Pujara often found runs difficult to score. He averaged 30 against Steyn and just 19 against Morkel, with the duo dismissing him six times combined. James Anderson, England’s all-time great, also proved to be a nightmare for him, dismissing him 12 times in 21 innings at an average of 21.80. Even though Pujara managed an overall average of 39.51 against England, in English conditions, that dipped to just 29.
Pat Cummins, Australia’s modern leader of pace, also had the upper hand against him. Pujara averaged only 22.50 against Cummins, falling to him eight times. Now let’s have a look at how Pujara fared in SENA conditions.
Pujara’s record in SENA