Team India's batting star Virat Kohli paid a heartfelt tribute to Cheteshwar Pujara, who announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket on August 24, Sunday. With Pujara batting most of his Test career at number three and doing an outstanding job, Kohli thanked the Saurashtra batter via Instagram for making his job easier at number four.
The 37-year-old was rightfully the successor of Rahul Dravid, who was often called 'The Wall' for his grit and determination to bat for long periods of time. Pujara did the same job for the national team at number three and played key roles in India's series wins over Australia in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 leg. He played 103 Tests for India and aggregated 7195 runs at 43.60.
With Kohli often batting at number four, Pujara's style of batting made things easier for the following batters. Watch the below Instagram story of Virat Kohli as he wrote:
"Thank you for making my job easier at 4 Pujj. You've had an amazing career. Congratulations and wish you the best for what's ahead. God bless."
Virat Kohli's Instagram story. | (Credits: Instagram)
"Someone like that is priceless to have in the team" - Virat Kohli on Cheteshwar Pujara
During the 2016-17 home series against Australia, Kohli had heaped massive praise on Pujara amid his outstanding form. The 36-year-old felt the right-hander's penchant to hold one end and grind for runs makes him a priceless asset, stating, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"You know, sometimes I really feel bad for him. People don't understand his importance so much in this team and what a valuable player he is for us. He is the most composed player we have in the team, he is willing to grind for his runs, he doesn't mind batting under pressure, he likes to take a challenge of batting. So, someone like that is priceless to have in the team. When the pressure situation comes up, he is someone who will put his hand up and play long for the team and hold up one end, which I think is a great quality in him."
The 37-year-old is more likely to be seen as a broadcaster moving forward.
