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The 37-year-old Pujara, who last represented India in the 2023 World Test Championship final, announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on Sunday, August 26.
Kohli, who shared some of India’s most memorable Test victories alongside Pujara, took to Instagram to express his gratitude.
“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 @cheteshwarpujara,” Kohli, who announced his Test retirement this year in May, wrote on his Instagram story on Tuesday.
Virat Kohli’s Instagram story for Cheteshwar Pujara pic.twitter.com/u0JUj9DCP5
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— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 26, 2025
Kohli and Pujara, who were central to India’s dominance in Test cricket, added 3,513 runs in 83 Test innings with seven century stands and 18 half-century partnerships while averaging 43.37.
One of Pujara’s defining contributions came during India’s historic 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in Australia. The Saurashtra batter amassed 521 runs in seven innings, wearing down Australia’s pace attack and laying the foundation for a 2-1 series win – India’s first-ever Test series victory on Australian soil. Virat Kohli has repeatedly highlighted Pujara’s resilience in that series as a key factor behind India’s success.
Overall, Pujara scored 7,195 Test runs in 103 Tests at an average of 43.60, with 19 hundreds and 35 fifties, finishing as India’s eighth-highest Test run-getter.
Reflecting on his decision, India’s former No.3 said it was the right time to step aside and that he took the call with pride rather than hesitation.
“See, I didn’t think much about it earlier. For about a week, I thought a little that this is the right time. So today, when I took this decision, it was quite a proud moment for me and for my whole family. On this day, I want to thank all my teammates, my coaches, and all the support staff I worked with, because this is a proud moment for me,” Pujara said.
“Representing the Indian team, from childhood, when I was small, it was always a dream to play for India. When that dream got completed and for so many years this journey went on, we created so many memories, so there are many proud moments in my career till now,” he added.
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