Batting superstar Virat Kohli took time on Tuesday to thank long-standing colleague Cheteshwar Pujara for making his position in India's Test batting lineup "easier" as he lauded the duo's stronger middle-order stand that held together for nearly a decade.
Pujara, 37, had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sunday that he would retire from international cricket, closing a glorious career that began way back in 2010 with his inaugural Test versus Australia at Bengaluru.
"Thanks for easing my workload at (number) 4 pujji. You've had an amazing career. All the best and good wishes for the future. God bless @cheteshwarpujara," Kohli, who also retired from Test cricket in May this year, wrote on his Instagram story.
Kohli and Pujara forged a partnership of 3,513 runs in 83 Test innings with seven hundred partnerships and eighteen fifty partnerships with a combined average of 43.37.
On being notified of Pujara's retirement, he was celebrated throughout the cricketing world most recently by players and coaches alike who embraced his strength, guts and selfless style as the hallmark attributes of his international Test career.
Pujara cherished a career in 103 Tests as an international cricket, with 7195 runs for an average of 43.60, his total included 19 centuries and 35 fifties.
The Saurashtra batsman was the backbone of India's first Border - Gavaskar trophy victory away in 2018 - 19, in Australia, scoring a total 521 runs at an average of 82.14 from seven matches, and India won the trophy winning the series 2 - 1. In the following Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia from 2020-21 Pujara scored 271 runs at an average of 33.87 from four games with three fifties and a top score of 77.
For first-class cricket, Pujara played 278 games and had 21,301 runs to his name with a top of 352. His average was 51.82, with 66 centuries and 81 half-centuries.
Pujara's last game for India was in the World Test Championship (WTC) final match against Australia at London's Oval in 2023.
Reflecting on his path in a Monday social media update, Pujara stated, "As a small kid from the small town of Rajkot, with my parents, I set out to dream of touching the stars; and dream to be an Indian cricketer." I didn't realize then how much this game would give me: worthwhile chances, experiences, meaning, love, and above all an opportunity to serve my state and this great nation."
He went on to add, "Wearing the Indian jersey, singing the national anthem, and performing my best whenever I stepped out onto the field – words can never describe what it actually meant. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and with great gratitude, I have decided to step down from Indian cricket in all its forms."
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