Ace India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that Cheteshwar Pujara deserves a lot of attention on social media, much like ace India batter Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and former India captain MS Dhoni do, adding that reels that are made with stirring music should feature Pujara as well. Ashwin made an emotional appeal to fans, stating that cricketers like Pujara deserve to be celebrated and talked about just as much as legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli. Ashwin requested social media users to create reels of Pujara’s defensive strokes as they do for Kohli’s cover drives, Dhoni’s helicopter shots or Rohit’s pull shots. The 37-year-old Pujara, who played 103 Tests and scored 7195 runs at an average of 43.6, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, drawing curtains on a career that epitomised resilience in the longest format. In an era when Tests tilted towards result-oriented tracks and conditions, Pujara placed his trust in classical technique and adhered to an old-fashioned brand of batting. “His batting looks like a symphony. We often see reels on social media of Virat Kohli’s cover drive, Rohit Sharma’s pull shot and MS Dhoni’s helicopter shot. But Pujara’s defence should also be featured in reels with stirring music,” Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel. Ashwin noted that Pujara’s contributions, on overseas tours, will endure the test of time. He was central to India’s historic first Test series win in Australia in 2018–19. Over the course of that four-match series, Pujara scored 521 runs, facing 1258 balls. In 2020–21, Pujara returned to Australia and once again wore down their highly regarded bowling unit. “His patience and his ability to grind bowlers down stood out. He is an old-fashioned Test legend, a massive legend of Indian cricket. His contribution is no less than that of anyone else,” Ashwin said. “I would go so far as to say this openly: whether it is Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, Pujara has contributed no less to Indian cricket than any of them. His contribution to Indian cricket has been phenomenal and it will stand the test of time,” Ashwin added.