Virat Kohli penned a note for Cheteshwar Pujara after the Indian batter announced his retirement from all formats on August 24. Pujara, who amassed 7,195 runs in 103 Tests at an average of 43.60, including 19 hundreds and 35 fifties, last played for India in the WTC Final against Australia in 2023.

The right-handed batter was one of the main reasons behind India’s historic Test series win in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19. He accumulated 521 runs in seven innings as India won the series 2-1. Kohli took to social media to hail the 37-year-old.

He thanked Pujara for making his life easy on the field. “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,” he wrote.

Pujara and Kohli added 3513 runs in 83 innings, with seven 100-run partnerships and 18 fifty stands.

Pujara said that it was the right time to retire. “I didn’t think much before announcing my retirement. I want to thank my teammates, my coaches and the support staff for helping me. We created so many memories,” Pujara said.