No Starc or Kagiso Rabada : Cheteshwar Pujara picks four toughest bowlers after announcing retirement

Cheteshwar Pujara, the former Indian cricketer, recently shared the names of four bowlers who proved to be the most challenging for him throughout his career. This revelation came after his retirement announcement on Sunday, 24 August (via TOI). The 37-year-old mentioned two former South African fast bowlers, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, as well as James Anderson from England and Pat Cummins from Australia.

Pujara faced significant difficulty against the South African bowlers, with his average in Tests against them standing at just 30.41 across 17 matches, managing only one century. His numbers were even lower in South Africa, where he averaged a mere 28.15 in 19 innings. Against Steyn, Pujara averaged 30, while his average dropped to 19 against Morkel. He was dismissed six times by the two.

The challenge continued with Anderson, against whom Pujara averaged only 21.80, having been dismissed 12 times by the English bowler. While his overall average against England was a respectable 39.51, his figures in England saw a decline, dropping to just 29. Similarly, Pujara’s record against Cummins showed an average of 22.50, with eight dismissals.

However, Pujara’s overall performance against Australia was more impressive. His Test average against them stood at 49.38, and in Australia, it was 47.28. One of his career highlights was being named Player of the Series during India’s historic Test series win in Australia in the 2018/19 season.

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