'My job easier at 4...'- Virat Kohli shares special message on Cheteshwar Pujara's international retirement

The former Indian captain, Virat Kohli, has shared a special message on the international retirement of the middle-order batter, Cheteshwar Pujara, who, however, has kept him available for the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2025/26 for the Saurashtra side. During Kohli’s tenure as India’s Test captain, Pujara made an enormous contribution with the bat.

Virat Kohli also retired from the longest format of the game a few months ago when he announced the decision through an Instagram post before the five-match Test series in England. Pujara ended his red-ball career as the eighth leading run-getter of the national side with 7195 runs in 176 innings at an average of 43.60, thanks to 19 centuries and 35 fifties.

“Thank you for making my job easier at 4 pujji. You’ve had an amazing career. Congratulations and wish you the best for what’s ahead. God bless @cheteshwar_pujara.” Kohli wrote on his Instagram story with a picture. Pujara’s role at number three for the Blue Brigade in the five-day format was incredibly important in not only scoring runs but also going through the new ball spell.

Virat Kohli pays tribute to Cheteshwar Pujara after international retirement

Pujara hasn’t played for India in the red-ball format since the final of the World Test Championship 2021-23 against Australia at the Kennington Oval in South London. He drew warm wishes from the fans and followers of the game as Kohli’s delayed posting again showed how important the right-handed batter was in the middle.

“Pujara's contribution at No.3, if you agree or do not, was instrumental in helping Virat Kohli also make a lot of his runs, and I have one such case as an example. In the final Test against South Africa at the Wanderers, where the pitch was deemed too dangerous at one stage, Pujara played 53 balls before he got off the mark.” Ravichandran Ashwin, the former Indian player, addressed.

Ashwin retired from international cricket post the Gabba Test of the BGT 2024/25. After that, Rohit Sharma and Kohli also retired in between a week. Now, with Pujara’s retirement, India’s golden period of the Test team is slowly fading.